At least 3 dead after earthquake rocks Bali

Indonesian resort island hit by moderately strong tremor just as it was reopening to tourists

A man stands near his house damaged by an earthquake in Karangasem on the island of Bali, Indonesia. AP Photo

A handout photo made available by the Bali disaster management agency (BPBD) shows people searching debris near a house after an earthquake and landslide in Bangli, Bali, Indonesia, 16 October 2021. A 4. 8 magnitude earthquake, struck in the north east of Bali around 43 kilometers northeast of Denpasar, with depth of 10 kilometers. There were no immediate reports of fatalitieds. EPA / BPBD HANDOUT / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY / NO SALES

People survey the damage. EPA

This handout picture taken and released on October 16, 2021 by the Bali regional disaster management agency (BPBD) shows collapsed houses after a 4. 8 earthquake occurred in Karangasem, on the tourist island of Bali. (Photo by Handout / BALI BPBD / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / BALI BPBD" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The devastation was clear to see.

Damage to a structure after the earthquake. EPA

At least three people were killed and another seven were injured when a moderately strong earthquake and an aftershock hit Indonesia’s resort island of Bali early on Saturday.

The quake hit just before dawn, causing people to run outdoors in a panic. It struck just as the island is beginning to reopen to tourism as the pandemic wanes.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 4.8 quake was centred 62 kilometres north-east of Singaraja, a Bali port town. Its shallow depth of 10 kilometres may have amplified the amount of damage.

A magnitude 4.3 aftershock followed. That quake was relatively deep, at 282km.

Gede Darmada, head of the island’s search and rescue agency, said the agency was still collecting updates on damage and casualties.

He said the injuries included broken bones and head wounds.

The earthquake triggered landslides in a hilly district, killing at least two people and cutting off access to at least three villages, Mr Darmada said.

It toppled homes and temples in Karangasem, the area closest to the epicentre, killing a three-year-old girl who was hit by falling debris, he said.

Houses and government facilities were damaged in Trunyan and in Kintamani villages, a popular sightseeing destination with a stunning lake.

Known as the “island of the gods”, Bali is home to more than 4 million mostly Hindu people in the mainly Muslim nation. It is famed for its temples, scenic volcanos and beautiful white-sand beaches.

On Thursday, the island reopened to international travellers for the first time in more than a year after Indonesia’s Covid-19 caseload declined considerably.

The country has had about 1,000 cases a day in the past week after peaking at about 56,000 daily new cases in July.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs the Pacific.

The last major earthquake was in January when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500. More than 92,000 people were displaced after it struck Mamuju and Majene districts in West Sulawesi province.