Indonesia: Quake-related death toll reaches 555

About 390,000 people remain displaced after the quakes (Source: VNA)

The death toll from the recent earthquakes rocking Indonesia’s Lombok island has climbed to 555, while nearly 1,500 others were left injured and hundreds of thousands homeless, according to the country’s disaster agency.

Most of the deaths occurred in the northern part of Lombok, with several also killed in neighbouring Sumbawa Island. Many were killed by falling debris as the tremors rippled across the island and caused widespread devastation.

About 390,000 people remain displaced after the quakes, the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management said.

Aid organisations have vowed to step up humanitarian assistance to the island as devastated residents struggle in makeshift displacement camps.

They warned that access to food, shelter and clean water has been insufficient for some residents displaced by the disasters.

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated that troops are being deployed to isolated villages that are difficult to reach.

The island, located next to holiday hotspot Bali, was hit by two deadly quakes on July 29 and August 5. On August 19, it was shaken by a string of fresh tremors and aftershocks, with the strongest measuring 6.9 magnitude.

Rebuilding costs are estimated to top 7 trillion rupiah (478 million USD).

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 Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 people of different nationalities, including 168,000 Indonesians./.

VNA