At least 10 DEAD after strong magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Lombok region of Indonesia

The quake struck the northern part of the island at 6.47am local time (11.47pm BST), and its epicentre was located 30.7 miles north-east of the city of Mataram, which has a population of 319,000.

Lombok is located close to the popular tourist destination of Bali, with more than 361,000 British holidaymakers visiting the country in 2017.

The earthquake was followed by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock in the same area at 0.06am (BST), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

A yellow alert was issued by authorities following the earthquake, indicating that casualties were possible. 

The epicentre of the earthquake was located on land and no tsunami warning has been issued. 

Jean-Paul Volckaert, who was woken by the quake while sleeping in the Puncak Hotel near Senggigi on Lombok, commented on incident, saying: “We jumped out of our beds to avoid anything falling on our heads.

“I’ve been walking around but so far there is no damage.

“We were very surprised as the water in the pools was swaying like a wild sea. There were waves in the pools but only for 20 to 30 seconds.

“The people in the villages may have damages. It’s still early morning here.”

Indonesia is prone to seismic activity due to its proximity to the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, a series of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

US model Chrissy Teigen, who is holidaying in Bali with her husband John Legend, commented on the earthquake, saying: “Oh my. Long earthquake here in Bali.”

Magnitude 6.4 earthquakes are strong enough to cause damage to property, but their impact depends on their location and the density of populations in the vicinity.

The Hualien earthquake, which hit Taiwan in February 2018 and had a magnitude of 6.4, killed 17 people and injured another 285.

The Foreign Office issued advice on what to do in the event of an earthquake hitting Indonesia.

They said: “If a major earthquake or landslide occurs close to shore, you should follow the instructions of local authorities, bearing in mind that a tsunami could arrive within minutes.

“The Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning Centre issues tsunami warnings when a potential tsunami with significant impact is imminent or expected.”