Powerful Quake Hits Indonesia's Lombok, Three Killed, Houses Damaged

A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist destination of Lombok in Indonesia on Sunday, killing three people and damaging many buildings, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.

The quake hit Lombok island early in the morning when many people were still sleeping. Twelve people were injured and many fled into open fields away from collapsed buildings.

“We jumped out of our beds to avoid anything falling on our heads,” said Jean-Paul Volckaert who was woken by the quake while sleeping in the Puncak Hotel near Senggigi on Lombok.

The quake was centered 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the city of Mataram on the northern part of Lombok island, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.