Lombok hit by powerful aftershock days after devastating earthquake

The Indonesian island of Lombok has been hit by a strong tremor just three days after a major earthquake that killed more than 130 people.

The latest tremor on the north-west coast, which had a magnitude of 5.9, brought down some buildings.

It was also felt on the nearby island of Bali, causing tourists to flee from their hotel rooms in the southern resort of Seminyak.

The Foreign Office had updated its travel advice for Indonesia yesterday, prior to the latest tremor, urging people to avoid all but essential travel to the Gili islands off the northwest coast of Lombok following Sunday’s 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

"There is a risk of aftershocks, which could cause further damage to buildings and pose risks to safety," it said. "In the event of serious injury, access to immediate medical assistance on the [Gili] islands is extremely limited."

It is not advising against travel to Lombok, but tourists began to leave the island after the earthquake on Sunday.

Rescue workers are still digging through rubble and trying to get aid to survivors of the earthquake, which the Red Cross has described as ‘exceptionally destructive’. Some villages have been completely raised to the ground, it said.

The government says more than 1,400 people were injured and more than 156,000 displaced.