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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) — At least 91 people have been
confirmed dead after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Lombok
Island on Aug. 5 a week after another powerful quake killed more than a dozen
people.
The country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency
said more than 200 people were injured in the latest quake, which also jolted
the neighboring tourist island of Bali, damaged thousands of buildings and
forced thousands of people to flee their homes, ucanews.com reported.
Pope Francis sent words of condolences
and solidarity to Indonesia authorities Aug. 6 through Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Vatican secretary of state.
Cardinal Parolin said the pope was
praying “especially for the repose of the deceased, the healing of
the injured and the consolation of all who grieve the loss of their loved ones.”
“In
offering encouragement to the civil authorities and those involved in the
search and rescue efforts as they assist the victims of this disaster, His
Holiness willingly invokes upon the people of Indonesia divine blessings of
consolation and strength,” the message said.
A disaster mitigation agency representative
said the victims urgently need medical supplies, clean water, food, blankets,
mattress and tents.
Among the damaged buildings was St.
Mary Immaculate Church in the West Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Mataram.
“The quake was stronger than
before. The church ceiling fell down, but the church’s walls remain
intact,” Father Laurensius Maryono, a priest at the parish, told
ucanews.com Aug. 6.
“There were no casualties as
there was no religious activities going on in the church when the quake
occurred,” Father Maryono said.
“Some parishioners are
currently trying to clean up the church and get rid of the debris,” he added.
The parish emergency response team
was coordinating with one from the Diocese of Denpasar.
“They will go to the worst-hit
areas of North Lombok and East Lombok districts to collect data. We will
continue collect aid for victims, something we had started doing for victims of
last week’s quake,” the priest said.
The disaster mitigation agency
reported that last week’s quake killed at least 16 people, left 355 people
injured and forced more than 5,100 people to flee their homes.
Meanwhile, Holy Spirit Cathedral
Parish in Denpasar, Bali province, reported only slight damage in the quake.
More than 130 aftershocks were
recorded following the latest quake.
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