The death toll after a devastating earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter Scale hit Indonesia's Lombok and Bali islands has risen to 82, according to the country's national disaster mitigation agency.
Speaking to the media, spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho confirmed that the death toll could increase further even as hundreds of people injured are being being given medical treatment. He also said thousands of buildings in the two holiday islands have been damaged to varying extents. He blamed substandard materials used in construction for most of these damages.
The earthquake struck on Sunday and left both tourists and locals in a state of panic. Eyewitness accounts tell of shocking tales of people running out of buildings and screaming in absolute disarray. Singapore's Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam was in Lombok at the time of the earthquake and took to Facebook to describe what he felt in his 10th floor hotel room. "Walls cracked, it was quite impossible to stand up."
Indonesia quickly issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake but it has since been rolled back. Emergency services are racing against time to carry out rescue operations and fear many could still be trapped under debris.
This was the second earthquake to have hit Lombok in a week with the previous jolt - measuring 6.4 - killing 17.
