Foreigners wait for their flights at Lombok International Airport (Photo: EPA/VNA)Jakarta (VNA) –Lombok International Airport of Indonesia is crowded with tourists who want toleave Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara province, after an earthquake measuring6.9 on the Richter scale struck on August 5.
Agung Sampurno, head of the Mataram ImmigrationOffice, said foreigners with expired visas affected by the earthquake in Lombokwill be exempt from the fine of 25 USD per day under Indonesia’s regulations.Those in need will also receive financial aid, food, drinking water and supportto replace papers and passports lost in the earthquake.
The immigration office has opened a mobileoffice at the Lombok airport to instruct people, especially foreigners, onvarious procedures. Some embassies such as those of Australia, France,Singapore and Spain also sent staff in charge of consular affairs to supporttheir citizens.
Meanwhile, nine rescue boats were deployed toevacuate visitors from three small islands off the coast of Lombok. As ofAugust 6 evening, 2,700 people had been evacuated from these islands.
The Indonesian military also sent a hospitalship with medical aid to the Lombok area. A battalion carrying relief was alsosent by a Hercules C-130 aircraft to assist quake victims in West NusaTenggara.
Aside from search, evacuation and rescueefforts, the Indonesian government has also erected tents, distributed suppliesand opened makeshift hospitals providing services around the clock in someplaces like Mataram city, East Lombok and North Lombok seriously affected bythe quake.
The country’s Meteorological, Climatological andGeophysical Agency said 176 aftershocks happened after the earthquake inLombok. The quake has killed 98, injured 236 others and damaged thousands ofhouses so far.
According to the MataramImmigration Office, more than 13,000 foreigners from 74 countries andterritories have visited Lombok in the recent days, mainly France, Australia,the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.-VNA
VNA
