Earthquake jolts Mataram

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: A mild earthquake jolted Mataram city and its surrounding area on Wednesday night, but no immediate fatalities were reported.

The 5.5-magnitude earthquake lasted for about 10 seconds, said an official at the Denpasar Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Ketut Agus.

The earthquake sparked panic among local residents, especially those who live near the beach. Fearing that the earthquake would trigger a tsunami like the one in Aceh, the residents living along the coastline rushed to higher ground after the earthquake. -- JP