6.9-magnitude earthquake kills at least 37 in Indonesia

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on Sunday, killing at lest 37 people on Lombok Island, Indonesian officials said.

All of the deaths took place on the island of Lombok with 28 in the north, while the others occurred throughout the rest of the island, said Haji Rum, head of the West Nusa Tenggara Disaster Management Agency.

Rum said falling debris in homes was responsible for all of the deaths.

The temblor hit around 6:45 p.m. near Loloan and was followed by a series of aftershocks ranging from 4.7 to 5.4 in magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter was about 20 miles northwest of Labuan and 30 miles northeast of Mataram.

The Indonesian Red Cross said four volunteers sustained injuries and were taken to a local hospital. At least 50 people sustained injuries.

The team reported parts of the island was without electricity as emergency officials worked to evacuate people.

Meteorologists said the earthquakes should generate increased waves by up to 5.5 inches. A tsunami warning was canceled.

Sunday's earthquake comes a week after a 6.4-magnitude temblor stranded more than 500 hikers on an Indonesian volcano on Lombok Island. The country's Joint Evacuation Team evacuated the hikers from Mount Rinjani on Tuesday.