UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL, MORE DETAILS
By Mahmut Atanur
JAKARTA (AA) – At least 82 people died when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Sunday, said an official.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), in a statement confirmed the death toll in the earthquake and aftershocks on the island of Lombok.
More than 100 others were injured and the death toll is feared to increase, he added.
Earthquake left over 1,000 houses damaged and the search and rescue teams continue efforts in the area.
So far, 47 aftershocks were detected with a smaller magnitude, according to the statement.
Nugroho also said several paramedics were dispatched to the disaster-hit area and survivors were shifted to safer areas and provided with blankets, tents and basic foodstuff.
The earthquake was centered 27 kilometers northeast of the city of Mataram on the island of Lombok -- a popular tourist destination -- 15 km under the surface, the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) said earlier.
A tsunami alert, issued earlier for the region, was lifted, the agency added.
Meanwhile, Praya International Airport is operating normally after a disruption in flights due to a power outage from the quake, airport officials said.
Last week, 16 people were killed when a magnitude 6.4 quake struck the same region, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,000 mountaineers.