Mahathir Calls Jokowi, Extends Condolences over Lombok Earthquake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed his condolences and sympathy over the earthquake disaster in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Mahathir’s statement of grief was delivered via a phone call to President Jokowi at the State Palace on Tuesday, 7 August, at 3 p.m.

“Your Excellency Tun Mahathir, thank you for your call. On behalf of the government and Indonesian people, I express my appreciation for the attention and concern of the Malaysian government and people over the earthquake in North Lombok which was also felt in Bali and eastern Java,” said Jokowi at the State Palace.

To Mahathir, Jokowi told about the earthquake incident. He also said that the number of victims who died reached 105 people and 236 people were injured. The handling and evacuation process is still ongoing, including evacuating the foreign nationals. 

Jokowi appreciated Mahathir’s attention to Indonesia. “Thank you, once again, for the brotherhood shown by Malaysia. Thank you for the call Tun Mahathir who is, currently, in Japan,” he said.

A 7 magnitude earthquake shook NTB and Bali on Sunday, August 7, at 18:46 Western Indonesia Time. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that the earthquake was the main shock of all the series of quakes occurred previously. 

VINDRY FLORENTIN