Five people have died on Lombok in a strong earthquake that set off a series of mudslides, cut power across the Indonesian island and destroyed buildings as the community tries to recover from quakes earlier this month that killed more than 450 people.

The shallow magnitude-6.9 quake that hit just after 10pm local time on Sunday was one of multiple powerful earthquakes in the northeast of the island that also caused landslides. It was preceded by a 6.3-magnitude quake in the afternoon and then followed by strong aftershocks.
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The quakes, in the Sembalun district on the north east of the island, caused panic, but many people were already staying in tents following the deadly quake in early August.

The national disaster mitigation agency said power was cut across the island, hampering efforts to assess the situation. Some houses and other buildings in Sembalun had collapsed, it said.

“People panicked and scattered,” said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. “Some people are hysterical because they feel earthquake aftershocks that are harder than before. They heard a roar that probably came from landslides in the hills and Mount Rinjani.”

Dwikorita Karnawatim, who heads Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency, said buildings that hadn’t collapsed so far suffered repeated stress, and authorities have urged people to avoid both the mountain’s slopes and weakened buildings.

The quake lasted five to 10 seconds and also was felt in the neighbouring islands of Bali and Sumbawa and as far away as East Java and Makassar in Sulawesi. Tourists and villagers in Bali ran out of buildings in panic.

The disaster agency said one person died from a heart attack during the biggest of the daytime quakes and nearly 100 houses near the epicenter were severely damaged.

A magnitude 7.0 quake that struck Lombok on 5 August killed 460 people, damaged tens of thousands of homes and displaced several hundred thousand people.

Mount Rinjani has been closed to visitors following a 29 July earthquake that killed 16 people, triggered landslides and stranded hundreds of tourists on the mountain.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago that straddles the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

source: theguardian.com

The 6.4 magnitude quake struck early on Sunday near Mount Rinjani on Lombok island, triggering landslides that cut off escape routes.

At least 16 people died and more than 330 were injured.

Rescue officials said many of the mostly foreign hikers were unlikely to reach the bottom before nightfall.

What is the situation on Mount Rinjani?

The national park authority said on Monday that a key route to the peak had been cleared and a helicopter was dropping supplies to hikers still on the slopes.

Rescue official Agus Hendra Sanjaya told AFP news agency that the hikers were believed to have enough supplies to last "another one to two days".

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, from the national disaster mitigation agency, said that when the quake struck there had been as many as 820 people on Mount Rinjani.

Among the foreigners climbing the volcano were 337 Thai tourists, with French, Dutch and Spanish making up the next-largest contingents.

The volcano, which rises 3,726m (12,224ft) above sea level and is the second-highest volcano in the country, is a favourite among sightseers.

What happened when the quake struck?

A Malaysian tourist on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani was among those killed. Another young Indonesian hiker was also killed by falling rocks.

US tourist John Robyn Buenavista described seeing people pinned to the ground by fallen debris.

"At one point, I saw people with half of their bodies stuck in the rocks and I just couldn't move. I felt paralysed and stopped moving. The guides were screaming, 'Don't die, don't die'," he told Reuters.

"One of the guides had to shake me and take me by the hand. He told me that I had to go, and that they would be OK."

A group of Malaysian tourists, who have now reached safety, had earlier appealed for help on Facebook.

Rebecca Henschke, BBC Indonesian, Lombok

The only health centre in Sembalun at the foothills of Mount Rinjani was damaged in the earthquake, so tents have been set up to treat the injured until ambulances arrive to take them to the nearest hospital.

Indonesians are no strangers to earthquakes but the power of the latest one has put people on edge. After each aftershock people run out into the open.

Clouds are gathering over Mount Rinjani where rescue workers are slowly bringing down the remaining hikers via alternative routes not affected by landslides.

In the tents among the injured is a porter who rushed down the mountain when the earthquake struck and is being treated for dehydration.

Videos filmed by guides on mobile phones captured the terrifying moment when the quake hit with people yelling for everyone to come down.

Are earthquakes common in Indonesia?

Yes. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Ring of Fire - the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.

More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the ring

source: bbc