New 6.3-magnitude quake jolts Indonesia’s Lombok

Jakarta, Aug 19 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's Lombok island on Sunday, weeks after three previous tremors in the same region killed 467 people.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) located the hypocentre at a depth of 10 km and 58 km northeast of Mataram, the island's capital, reports Efe news.

Officials said they were looking still assessing the situation following the latest quake on Sunday.

"The earthquake caused people to panic and flee their homes," the national disaster agency the BBC quoted National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying.

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake had struck the region on August 5 and was followed by over 500 aftershocks, including one of magnitude 5.9 on August 9.

According to latest official figures, over 417,000 people have been displaced, 72,000 houses, 671 schools, 52 hospitals and 128 places of worship have been damaged.

On July 29, another 6.4-magnitude quake left 16 dead, 355 injured and 1,500 buildings damaged.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activities, where some 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year.

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