The death toll from a powerful earthquake in the Indonesian island of Lombok is said to have reached at least 98, but officials fear the number could increase even further.
For more on this and other news around the we turn to our Ro Aram...
Aram...there are other reports claiming the death toll has surpassed 140... but a rise nonetheless
That's right Mark... search and rescue operations are still underway, but there are areas which rescuers have not been able to reach yet so there is a chance the death toll could climb.
The situation is also being worsened by continued aftershocks….
Our Cho Sung-min has the latest developments.
Local authorities said Monday that the official death toll from Sunday's massive earthquake in Indonesia has climbed to at least 142, and more than two hundred people were injured.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake measured magnitude 6-point-9.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said it expects the death count to rise.
Since the quake, there have been more than 120 aftershocks, some of them felt some one-hundred kilometers away in Bali.
Lombok has suffered two earthquakes now in as many weeks.
On July 29th there was a 6-point-4 magnitude quake that left at least 17 people dead.
Officials said an operation is currently underway to evacuate thousands of tourists from Lombok and nearby islands.
More than twenty-thousand locals have also fled their homes to find shelter, and the Indonesian military has sent humanitarian aid to help with the evacuation.
Authorities carrying out search and rescue operations said they are having a hard time locating some people and treating the injured... since most of the island's medical resources have been damaged.
Cho Sung-min, Arirang News.
