Another powerful M6.9 earthquake hits Lombok, Indonesia

Just two weeks after devastating M7.0 earthquake which killed more than 460 people, another powerful earthquake hit the same region at 14:56 UTC (22:56 local time) on August 19, 2018. BMKG is reporting it as M6.9 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M6.9 at a depth of 20.3 km (12.6 miles). This earthquake can have a high humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 4.5 km (2.8 miles) S of Belanting (population 0), 17.6 km (10.9 miles) NNW of Labuan Lombok (population 10 000), 55.8 km (34.6 miles) NE of Praya (population 34 183), 62.0 km (38.4 miles) ENE of Mataram (population 318 674), and 73.9 km (45.8 miles) NE of Lembar (population 10 000), Indonesia.

There are 3 670 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).

Some 805 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking and 2 662 000 strong.

This quake had no tsunami potential, BMKG said.

It was followed by M5.6 at 15:16 UTC, M5.8 at 15:28 UTC and M5.0 at 15:30 UTC.

The quake was felt hard in East Lombok, disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

It was also felt in Bali, Sumbawa, East Java and Makassar.

Wisatawan asing di Bali segera keluar dari bangunan merasakan guncangan gempa 7 SR di Lombok Timur pada 19/8/2018 pukul 21.56 WIB. Gempa dirasakan keras di Lombok Timur. Gempa juga dirasakan di Bali, Sumbawa, Jawa Timur dan Makassar. Masih dilakukan pendataan dampak gempa. pic.twitter.com/2jNBkWDFUf

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) August 19, 2018

Kondisi pelabuhan di Kayangan Lombok Utara retak akibat gempa 7 SR. Belum dapat informasi dampak gempa karena listrik pada seluruh Lombok. Komunikasi putus. Kondisi gelap gulita. Gempa susulan masih berlangsung. Semoga tidak banyak korban jiwa dan kerusakan yang lebih parah. pic.twitter.com/9SEfx7HCLQ

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) August 19, 2018

Power outages are reported throughout Lombok, Sutopo said, adding that they are still coordinating with the officials.

EMSC said an even larger earthquake cannot be ruled out. "What we have observed since August 5 and the first mainshock, is that this sequence is not following the usual mainshock-aftershock sequence."

The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past yellow alerts have required a local or regional level response.

Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Indonesia.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick with concrete floor and precast concrete frame with wall construction.

The quake hit some 10 hours after a shallow earthquake registered by the BMKG as M6.3 at a depth of 14 km (8.7 miles). 

Update

August 20, 18:07 UTC

At least 14 people have died yesterday and 24 were injured, Sutopo said August 20, adding that 6 151 buildings were damaged.

Dampak gempa 6,9 SR yang mengguncang Lombok per 20/8/2018 pukul 10.45 WIB: 10 orang meninggal dunia, 24 orang luka-luka, 151 unit rumah rusak dan 6 unit fasilitas ibadah. Kendala pendataan listrik padam total menyebabkan komunikasi dan pendataan terhambat. pic.twitter.com/9SRGgu5Uvl

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) August 20, 2018

Dampak gempa 6.9 SR di Lombok dan Sumbawa update per 20/8/2018 pukul 19.00 WIB: 14 orang meninggal dunia (Lombok Timur 6, Lombok Tengah 1, Sumbawa 6, Sumbawa Barat 1), 24 orang luka, 151 rumah rusak, 6 fasilitas peribatan rusak dan 1 kantor rusak. Bantuan terus disalurkan. pic.twitter.com/BurOxaPSHz

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) August 20, 2018

Featured image credit: USGS, EMSC