Kadek Ayu Lasmi Dewi, a 15-year-old student of public vocational school of SMKN 2 Gerung in West Lombok District, suffered minor injuries on her head after being hit by a falling roof tile of her school, caused by the quake that hit the area at 8:02 a.m. local time.
According to Ahmad Zaki Ali of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)-West Nusa Tenggara Chapter, the injured student had received medical treatment from her school authority and so had the two students, who became unconscious.
Ali noted that the East Lombok District areas were secure, as the epicenter of this earthquake was located in North Lombok District, but PMI workers on the ground continued to adopt a wait and watch approach with regard to the impact of the quake.
"We have yet to receive information on those injured owing to this quake," he stated.
In Mataram, the capital city of West Nusa Tenggara Province, the earthquake triggered panic among local residents, including those working at the city government`s offices.
Several civil servants were seen evicting the premises of their offices to gather at disaster meeting points while waiting for the tremors to end. Meanwhile, several housewives hurried to their children`s schools to pick them up.
According to M. Amin, a teacher of the Public Primary School SDN 25, all pupils of his school were allowed to go home as a precautionary measure against the aftershocks.
The workers, present on the second floor of their office buildings, began to panic, though the tremors were not as strong as the two deadly earthquakes that had hit several parts of Lombok Island on July 29 and August 5, 2018.
Indonesia is prone to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, owing to its location on the Pacific ring of fire.
Over the past few months, a string of earthquakes had rocked Lombok Island, including two strong-intensity ones in July and August, causing serious catastrophes.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, the strong earthquakes, including the 7.0-magnitude quake that shook Lombok Island on Aug 5, had killed at least 555 people and caused injuries to 829 others.
Most fatalities were residents of the North Lombok District areas due to their proximity to the strong earthquake`s epicenter. Repeated earthquakes have also caused damage to 23,098 houses and led to the forced displacement of 134,236 people.
In response to the catastrophes, the central government had outlined a six-month target to complete the reconstruction of houses damaged by the earlier earthquakes.
"Reconstruction must be completed in six months` time. The president has ordered the reconstruction (of the damaged houses) after the emergency response period is over," Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated during his recent visit to Lombok Island.
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
