The death toll from Sunday’s devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok has risen to 347, according to the state-run Anatara news agency. The majority of people died in Kayangan, on the north side of the island, Antara reported. Another 1,447 people were injured and 165,003 were displaced by the 6.9 magnitude quake, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told the news agency earlier.
On Tuesday, the government estimated 20,000 people are in need of assistance, with around 80% of buildings destroyed, as aid workers struggled to reach those effected by the disaster.
“We are concerned aid trucks can’t get through because of the debris, and there are also landslides happening,” Husni Husni, a Jarkarta-based representative for the Red Cross, said.”A lot of people are displaced, and many have migrated to the hilly and mountainous areas because of fear of a tsunami.”
Meanwhile, the disaster management agency said Tuesday all of the 2,000 tourists on the Gili Islands had now been evacuated. For residents of Lombok and surrounding islands, many saw their homes destroyed, with the collapse of roofs and walls causing the majority of casualties from the quake.
Gusti Lanang Wisnuwandana, an official with the Mataram Search and Relief Office, told Antara that medical and rescue workers were struggling to deal with survivors terrified of being indoors after the quake.
