The damage and losses caused by last week’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and Bali have been estimated to reach more than US$138 million, according to Indonesia’s national disaster agency.
The Jakarta Post quoted the spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) as reporting that damaged infrastructure comprises 67,875 houses, 468 schools, six bridges, three hospitals, 10 health centers, 15 mosques, 50 mushola (prayer room) and 20 office buildings.
“The BNPB is still estimating the economic losses,” spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho was quoted as saying.
He added that nearly 75 percent of the residential areas in North Lombok regency had been destroyed as it was the worst hit region.
“According to satellite images, the buildings in North Lombok regency suffered massive damages. We are still collecting more information,” Sutopo said.
The regency experienced the worst damaged due to its close proximity to the earthquake’s epicenter, located 18 kilometers south-west of East Lombok.
The agency also reported that the death toll from the earthquakes has climbed to over 320. It said it had verified 321 deaths and that more than 270,000 people had been forced to flee their homes because of a series of tremors over the past two weeks.
