TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has released updated data on Lombok quake victims. BNPB recorded as many as 98 people died due to the earthquake on Sunday night, August 5.

“[The death toll] rises to 98 people, 236 people are injured, thousands of houses are wrecked, and thousands of people are evacuated in several locations,” said BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a written statement received late Monday, August 6.

The magnitude-7 earthquake earlier struck Lombok and Sumbawa Island on Sunday, August 5, at 19:46 local times. The tremor was centered 8.3 degrees south latitude and 116.48 degrees east longitude of North Lombok at a depth of 15 kilometers.

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Sutopo expected the number of victims and damages due to the quake would likely increase considering the joint SAR teams have yet completely reached all affected areas. “We suspect there still victims buried in the collapsed building who have not yet evacuated by the team,” he said.

The joint personnel, Sutopo added, continuously swept the affected areas to conduct evacuation measure as well as list the casualties and wrecked buildings.

The dead victims of Lombok quake mostly found in North Lombok District at 72 people since the region was the most affected by the tremor. In addition, 16 people from West Lombok, 4 people Mataram, and 2 people from Central Lombok. The magnitude-7 quake was also felt in Bali and claimed 2 lives in Denpasar.

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Sutopo said most of the victims were dead due to buried in wrecked buildings and as of data thus far, they were Indonesian people. “No report of foreign tourist becomes victim thus far,” he added.

BNPB was also still recording the number of evacuees and that expected to total thousands of people who spread to many locations. As a result, the agency found it hard to distribute logistics and other needs. “Aside from limited available logistics, it’s quite difficult to distribute aids because the evacuees spread in many locations, especially in North Lombok,” Sutopo said.

SYAFIUL HADI