Malaysian Embassy opens operations room after second Lombok quake

JAKARTA (Bernama): The Malaysian embassy here  has activated its operations room to assist Malaysians in Lombok who need consular assistance following the magnitude seven earthquake that jolted the island on Sunday (Aug 5) evening.

" Malaysians in Lombok who need consular help can call the phone number [phone]  or send WhatsApp messages to [phone] and e-mail [e-mail] / [e-mail]," said the Embassy in a statement.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that happened off north Lombok at 6.46 pm was also felt around Sumbawa Island, Bali Island and East Java.

When contacted, Deputy Ambassador Zamshari Shaharan said the embassy was working with the Indonesian police and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to identify if any Malaysians were affected by the quake.

According to BNPB Information and Public Relations Centre head  Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the quake's epicentre was 27 km North East of North Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara.

"Residents reportedly ran out of their homes and buildings, and the electricity supply was reportedly cut in some parts of the island and as of 8 pm tonight, 14 aftershocks were recorded," he said in a statement.

He said there were only one-metre tsunamis in several areas around the island and the tsunami alert issued was now withdrawn.

 "So far, there have been no complete information on the damage and any deaths," he said.

Last Sunday (May 29), an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale shook West Nusa Tenggara and Lombok at 5.47 am, killing 17 people including 30-year-old Malaysian Siti Nur Ismawida Ismail.

The earthquake also injured hundreds more while more than 5,000 homes were reportedly destroyed. - Bernama