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Quake Hits Indonesia's Lombok Island, USGS Says

by Reuters

   A magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Sunday struck the Indonesian island of
   Lombok, a popular tourist destination, and was quickly followed by an
   aftershock, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

   The quake, which struck at 6:47 a.m. Sunday (2247 GMT Saturday), was
   followed less than an hour later by an aftershock of magnitude 5.4 in
   the same area, the USGS said.

   The epicenter's location was revised to 30.7 miles (49.5 kilometers)
   northeast of the island's main city of Mataram. The tremor was only
   4.35 miles deep (7 kilometers), a shallow depth that would have
   amplified its effect.

   A magnitude 6.4 earthquake is considered strong and is capable of
   causing severe damage.

   The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the European quake
   agency, put the magnitude at 6.5.

   The earthquake was on land and did not trigger any waves.

   Lombok is the next island east of Bali.