Death toll of Indonesia's earthquake surpasses 460, search for victims continues

JAKARTA - The number of death toll of the strong quake rattling Lombok Islands of central Indonesia surged to 460 people, while rescuers keep scrambling to pull out of the victims from ruins, an official of disaster agency disclosed on Thursday.

A total of 7,773 people sustained injuries as the jolts damaged 71,962 houses, 671 educational facilities, 52 health infrastructures including one hospital and 11 health clinics, 20 office building, and collapsed six bridges, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho revealed.

That forced 417,000 folks to flee homes and take shelter in makeshift encampment or under tarpaulins, Sutopo said.

"Those figures are looked to rise, as rescuers are rushing to pull out victims from the rubble of twisted buildings," he told Xinhua in a text message.

The spokesman said that several landslides had taken places in several spots after the quake.

He said that the risks of the quake leads to a $509.6-million financial loss.

A 7.0-magnitude quake struck off Lombok Island on Aug. 5, a week after a 6.4-magnitude hit the tourist favorite destination island, since then, hundreds of aftershocks have followed.

Indonesia has been frequently stricken by quake as it is situated on a vulnerable quake-affected one so called the Pacific Ring of Fire.