Jakarta: More than 200 hikers are trapped on a mountain on the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, after a deadly earthquake triggered landslides which cut off escape routes.
The 6.4 magnitude quake struck early on Sunday not far from the base of the mountain. At least 14 people have died, and more than 160 were injured.
Thousands of homes have been damaged and hundreds have been left homeless as substantial aftershocks rocked Lombok and neighbouring Bali island.
A Malaysian tourist who was on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani was among those killed. Another young Indonesian hiker was also killed by falling rocks.
Authorities said more than 500 people, mostly foreign tourists, have already come down from the mountain but 266 are still trapped up there. Helicopters are now searching for the stranded.
Rinjani, a volcanic mountain, draws hundreds of thousands of climbers from across the world each year, said the BBC. Dramatic footage filmed by guides on the mountain at the time of the quake showed huge landslides near the crater lake.
A group of Malaysian tourists, who have now reached safety and are due to leave Lombok by plane on Monday had earlier posted for help on Facebook. (IANS)
