A magnitude 6.2 aftershock rocked Indonesia's Lombok on Thursday, sparking fresh panic on the tropical tourist island as the official death toll from a powerful earthquake four days earlier almost doubled to at least 319.
Reuters witnesses reporting on the aftermath of Sunday's quake in the north of the island said buildings and walls that had already been weakened collapsed, and people ran out onto roads even as rocks tumbled down from hillsides.
"Evacuees and people ran out of houses when they felt the strong shake of the 6.2 magnitude quake," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), said on Twitter. "People are still traumatised. Some buildings were damaged further because of this."
Officials said the epicentre of the aftershock was on land and so there was no risk of a tsunami.
The United States Geological Survey recorded the latest quake at 5.9, at a depth of 10 km (six miles).
"Our latest update is that 319 people died," said Indonesia's chief security minister Wiranto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, adding that rescue efforts were ongoing and complicated by aftershocks.
"This number will continue increasing as rescue teams continue to find victims under collapsed buildings," BNPB said in a statement.
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More on Lombok quake:
Indonesia's Lombok island hit by third earthquake causing buildings to collapse
Dubai residents describe Indonesia earthquake horrors
Collapsed mosque centre of rescue operation to save worshippers in Lombok
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A humanitarian crisis is also looming in Lombok, where thousands have been left homeless and in desperate need of clean water, food, medicine and shelter.
Authorities made announcements over loudspeakers at evacuation sites, urging people to remain calm and stay inside tents or find open space if they were inside or near buildings.
"Please stay calm, this is just an aftershock and it will be over soon, there's no need to be scared," one official announced.
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A girl standing in front of her damaged house in Kayangan subdistict in northern Lombok. AFP -
A child stands next to her injured mother at an emergency hospital ward in Mataram. AFP -
A man carries his belongings past the ruin of houses at a village affected by an earthquake in North Lombok, Indonesia. AP Photo -
People react shortly after an aftershock hits the area in Tanjung on Lombok island. AFP -
An Indonesian woman cries next to her childern shortly after an aftershock hits the area in Tanjung on Lombok island. AFP -
Indonesian soldiers unload relief aid at an airbase in Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia. REUTERS -
Resident throw a sack of rice as they distribute it after an earthquake struck northern Lombok. EPA -
Foreign tourists help an Indonesian survivor in Gili Trawangan island. EPA -
Resident throw a box of water as aid arrives. EPA -
Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team look for bodies. AFP -
Displaced residents rest in tents set up in Kayangan in northern Lombok island. AFP -
A young man salvages whatever he can find in Kayangan in northern Lombok island. AFP -
A rescuer climbs over debris of a collapsed mosque after an earthquake struck northern Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. EPA -
An Indonesian soldier taking part in search and rescue operations looks for earthquake victims in the rubble in Tanjung on Lombok island. AFP
Officials said about three-quarters of Lombok's rural north had been without electricity since Sunday, although power had since been restored in most areas before the aftershock. Aid workers have found some villages hard to reach because bridges and roads were destroyed.
Ruslan, a 29-year-old resident of Pemenang on the northwestern shoulder of Lombok, said he had already been anxious about aftershocks before the latest jolt.
"My heart jumps if even the door slams hard. It's difficult to get used to," he said. "We are still scared to go into the house. At the most, we go in quickly to grab something and then run back out."
Thousands of tourists have left Lombok since Sunday, fearing further earthquakes, some on extra flights provided by airlines and others on ferries to the neighbouring island of Bali.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami killed 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.
