JAKARTA, Aug 29 — A strong quake of 7.0 magnitude struck deep in the sea north of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia early today, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, sending residents running out of buildings.
The epicentre was 203km north of Mataram and very deep at 516km below the Earth’s surface, said EMSC.
Indonesian and United States geological agencies pegged the magnitude at 7.1, with no threat of a tsunami.
The quake was felt just before 4am (2000 GMT) across coastal areas in Bali and Lombok and was followed by two quakes of magnitude 6.1 and 6.5, said the Indonesian geological agency.
Guests at Bali’s Mercure Kuta Bali ran out of their rooms after feeling the few-second tremor, hotel manager Suadi told Reuters by phone.
“Several guests left their rooms but were still in the hotel area,” he said, adding they have since returned and there was no damage to the building.
There were no immediate reports of damage, said Indonesian disaster agency BNPB.
“The quake is deep; it should not be destructive,” said BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari.
— Reuters
