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6.4-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia, killing at least 14

By Allen Cone
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the central Indonesian island of Lombok on Sunday, destroying several buildings. Photo by Eka Ramadani/EPA
1 of 2 | A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the central Indonesian island of Lombok on Sunday, destroying several buildings. Photo by Eka Ramadani/EPA

July 29 (UPI) -- A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Lombok and Sumbawa islands on Sunday, killing at least 14.

At 5:47 a.m., the earthquake rocked the nation's central islands with a shallow depth of 4.6 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was centered on Lombok, about 140 miles east of Bali and not far from Mount Rinjani volcano.

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The islands also experienced 66 aftershocks, according to Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

"We did not detect any potential for a tsunami but the earthquake lasted quite a while in all regencies and municipalities in West Nusa Tenggara province, spreading panic among the people," BMKG Mataram head Agus Riyanto said in a report by the Jakarta Post.

At least 162 people were hurt, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.

And more than 1,000 homes were damaged by the earthquake, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the agency.

Lombok's Sembalun district appeared to be the hardest hit, the Indonesian Red Cross posted on Twitter.

"We were still sleeping when we felt the earthquake, so we rushed outside of our building," Jean Paul Volchaert, who owns the Puncak Hotel in West Lombok, told CNN. "There was about 20 seconds of shaking, the water in the pool was making quite large waves."

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Model Chrissy Teigen tweeted: "Oh my. Long earthquake here in Bali." She was vacationing with her husband, singer John Legend, and their two children.

Hiking at Mount Rinjani had been suspended due to landslides but the Bali airport was operating normally, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta tweeted.

The islands are part of an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity of 25,000 square miles called the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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