The death toll rose to 39 after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Lombok and nearby Bali on Sunday, damaging buildings, sending terrified residents and tourists running into the streets and triggering a brief tsunami warning.
The head of disaster management in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province, Muhammad Rum, announced the death toll - which could rise further as search and rescue operations continue.
Social media posts from the scene showed debris piled on streets and sidewalks. Hospital patients, many still in their beds, were rolled out onto streets as a safeguard against structural damage to the hospital buildings.
"Back in the house now. That was an attention getter," tweeted @Bali_chris. "Strongest quake we've felt in the 13 years we've been here. Much stronger than the last one in Lombok that we felt in Bali. Hope everyone in Lombok is safe."
Lombok, about 50 miles east of Bali, was rocked by a magnitude 6.4 quake less than a week ago that killed 16 people. That quake injured more than 150 people, damaged thousands of homes and cut off power to many more.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency for Indonesia had reported scores of aftershocks in the hours after last week's quake - and had warned that another major quake could be imminent.
Lombok, about 50 miles east of Bali, was rocked by a magnitude 6.4 quake less than a week ago that killed 16 people. That quake injured more than 150 people, damaged thousands of homes and cut off power to many more.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency for Indonesia had reported scores of aftershocks in the hours after last week's quake - and had warned that another major quake could be imminent.
Model Chrissy Teigen is vacationing in Bali with husband John Legend and their children. Teigen weeted "oh my god. Bali. trembling. So long." And then: "Oh man. We are on stilts. It felt like a ride. 15 solid seconds."
Iwan Asmara, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, said people poured out from their houses in panic to move to higher ground, particularly in Mataram and North Lombok district.
The quake struck at 6:46 p.m. local time, with an epicenter located 12 miles south-west of East Lombok. Lombok is known for its beaches, surfing, diving and snorkeling and is home to a sea turtle hatchery.
Indonesia, made of of thousands of islands, has a population of more than 260 million people. The archipelago is part of the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific known for volcanic activity and earthquakes.
Comment: Earthquake Track relays information stating that it occurred at a shallow depth of 10kms.
UPDATE: The Daily Star (UK) on July 6th reports: