Tourists flee hard-hit Lombok

jakarta - A day after the heavy earthquake at Lombok, foreign tourists try to leave the Indonesian island on Monday. There are long lines of waiting at Mataram airport and airline Garuda is using additional flights.

Budget airline AirAsia is also trying to send more aircraft to Lombok, CEO Tony Fernandes said on Twitter.

With boats, about a thousand tourists and residents have been evacuated from the Gili Islands to the northwest of Lombok, a popular tourist destination.

Some 91 people died in the earthquake with a force of 7.0. The Indonesian authorities expect the death toll to rise. There are hundreds of wounded and thousands of houses have been destroyed. There are also parts of the island without electricity and communication links. The Indonesian navy said that a ship with relief supplies is en route to the island.