ZCZC
BFF-28
INDONESIA-EARTHQUAKE-DEATH TOLL
Death toll from Indonesia’s Lombok earthquake rises to 436
JAKARTA, Aug 13, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – Indonesia’s National Disaster
Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Monday that the death toll from a
devastating earthquake on the tourist island of Lombok has reached 436.
Of the total death toll figure, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said
259 have been identified with administrative letters related to their deaths.
“The large remaining part were still waiting for the letter issuance. Most
of them were killed by debris and rubbles that fell on them when the
earthquake took place,” Sutopo said in a statement.
Most of the deaths occurred in North Lombok, the hardest-hit regency on
Lombok island, with 374 ones.
Other casualties were reported in other regencies on the island and in
adjacent resort island of Bali.
According to BNPB, the earthquake also injured 1,353 people and displaced
over 370,000.
The Health Ministry planned to build and open a temporary hospital in
Tanjung, North Lombok regency, to serve the earthquake victims.
The temporary hospital would replace the regency hospital as 90 percent of
its premises were severely damaged by the powerful 7.0-magnitude quake on
Aug. 5.
The North Lombok temporary hospital was expected to operate normally
within two weeks.
Achmad Yurianto from the ministry’s Head of Health Crisis Department said
the hospital would function like the one established in Aceh in the aftermath
of a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2004.
BSS/XINHUA/FI/ 1422 hrs