Indonesia island struck by massive 6.9 magnitude earthquake

Earth continues to reel from seismic activity as a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 has rocked the Lombok region – the latest in a series of tremors which have claimed the lives of almost 500 people in recent weeks. The United States Geological Survey reported that the latest quake hit north-north-west of the battered Indonesian island, at a depth of just one mile.

The USGS initially said the quake measured 7.2, but subsequently revised this to 6.9. There was no immediate tsunami alert from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. In a tweet shortly earlier, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management put the quake’s magnitude at 7.0. READ MORE