\Climbers evacuated from Mount Rinjani (Source: VNA)Jakarta (VNA) - At least 543hikers and their guides have been evacuated from a mountain in a touristdestination of Lombok Island of central Indonesia after a strong quake cut offroutes, local authorities said.
189 foreign hikers, 173 domesticclimbers, 31 guides and 150 porters reached the base of the mountain on July 30night, according to national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
On July 31, three hikers, one guide and two porters who are stranded in LakeSegara Anak of West Nusa Tenggara province, together with the body of a climberwill be evacuated by helicopter.
Local authorities estimated that about 560 people are stranded in Mount RInjaniafter a 6.4-magnitude quake, with anepicenter not far from the base of Mount Rinjani volcano, struck on July 29.
The tourists are from countriesincluding China, the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Malaysia,Thailand, Germany, Singapore, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The quake also left 16 people dead, 355 others injured, and forced 5,141 toflee home as the jolts have destroyed over 1,000 buildings.
Relief activities are underway in temporary shelters with necessities sent suchas tents, blankets, 1.5 tonnes of rice, 250 instant noodles, water andbiscuits.
Mount Rinjani volcano, a populartourist destination, draws hundreds of thousands of climbers every year,according to the government data.
Indonesia is prone to quake as itlies on vulnerable quake-affected area called the Pacific Ring of Fire. In2004, a 9.3-magnitude quake followed by tsunami off Sumatra island in westernIndonesia claimed 220,000 lives in Pacific countries, including 168,000Indonesians.-VNA
VNA
