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Death Toll Rises To 347 After Indonesia’s Magnitude 7 Earthquake

REUTERS/Beawiharta

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Neetu Arnold Contributor
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Indonesia’s death toll rose to 347 with roughly 1,500 people hospitalized for serious injuries and thousands left homeless after a magnitude 7 earthquake hit the country Sunday.

Thousands of people without homes stayed in temporary shelters, and over 156,000 people were displaced due to considerable damages to houses.

Indonesia’s disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the death toll was expected to rise more as other deaths were in the verification process, the Associated Press reported Wednesday before the 347 number was reported.

The military had five planes leave the island of Jakarta to deliver food, medicine, tents, blankets, and water to the thousands left homeless Wednesday. Lombok faces water shortages as it is in the middle of a dry spell, according to the AP.

A mother of 9- and 15-year-old girls told The AP she hoped the government would be able to help with rebuilding efforts.

“My house was flattened,” she said. “We are all frustrated to live like this – in a tent without certainty.”

People have also slept outside or in makeshift shelters.

The quake shook the island of Lombok, an island neighbored by the popular tourist island of Bali. Around 5,000 tourists were able to evacuate Lombok and other affected islands by boat due to power blackouts and damages to hotels, according to The AP.

The quake was enough for a tsunami warning issued on Sunday, though it was later pulled by Indonesian authorities that same day.

Indonesia was still recovering from the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit on July 29, leaving 16 dead. The July 29 earthquake debilitated several structures, The AP reported. (RELATED: Earthquakes Rattle Hawaii As Lava And Toxic Gas Force Mandatory Evacuations)

The last major earthquake that extensively damaged the area was in 2004, where 230,000 people across several countries were killed and triggered a tsunami, according to Fox News.

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