"Today (Aug 7), the relevant parties have completed the evacuation of foreign tourists in Lombok Island," Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said.
Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - All foreign tourists have been evacuated to safer grounds since a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake rattled the Indonesian island of Lombok on Sunday night (Aug 5), Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said.

"Today, (Aug 7) the relevant parties have completed the evacuation of foreign tourists in Lombok Island," the minister said, on the sidelines of the 7th Bali Process Ministerial Conference held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Tuesday.

The minister stated that none of the foreign tourists evacuated to safe grounds had fallen victims to the devastating earthquake.

"They have been taken to Bali Island," she added.

The local authorities have evacuated at least 700 foreign tourists and local residents from Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno in Lombok Island to Bangsal Port in the anticipation of aftershocks.

The minister called on both foreign nationals and Indonesian citizens to contact a call center on the Foreign Ministry`s website for information and assistance in the wake of the powerful quake.

The quake, which was centered 18 kilometers southwest of East Lombok district at a depth of 15 kilometers, jolted West Nusa Tenggara province on Sunday night (Aug 8).

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that the death toll from the powerful earthquake had climbed to 105 as of 11 a.m. West Indonesian Time (WIB) on Tuesday.

"Some 78 of the 105 fatalities are found in the areas of North Lombok District," the agency`s spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho revealed.

Reported by Pande Yudha and Gembong Ismadi
Edited by Suharto, Andi Abdussalam

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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