Lombok Waterfall Tourist Sites Closed Due to Earthquake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two known waterfall tourist attractions in North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) are closed due to the area sustaining heavy damage from the landslides caused by the 5.8-Magnitude earthquake on Sunday, March 17.

“Considering the condition, the waterfalls are temporarily closed from the public,” said North Lombok’s regional secretary Suardi at the entrance gate of the Tiu Kelep and Sindang Gile waterfall sites.

The decision to close down the tourist sites was made after a brief meeting between stakeholders comprised of the local police, military, local disaster mitigation agency (BPBD), and the search and rescue team (SAR).

Read also: Two Died and Several Injured in North Lombok Earthquake

Suardi could not confirm when the two major tourist sites will be available again for the public. “We will have to see the developments. We will also discuss this with the Mount Rinjani National Park management since this falls under their jurisdiction,” he said.

The local government has also agreed to prolong the evacuation period of landslide victims this morning. Reports suggest that there remains one body of a Malaysian national yet to be evacuated because of the difficult terrain of large fallen rocks along the pathway to the Tiu Kelep waterfall.

ANTARA