A TOTAL of 1291 tourists have been evacuated from Lombok and the nearby Gili Islands in a massive overnight operation in the wake of Sunday’s earthquake which has devastated the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok and left almost 100 dead.

The 1000 plus tourists swarmed onto beaches at the Gili Islands as a fleet of tourists boats were bought in overnight to take holidaymakers to safety.

The boats took the evacuees to Benoa harbour in Bali, where holidaymakers told of the panic when the quake struck and of running up a nearby mountain after a tsunami warning was issued.

Bali tourist authorities have put on free shuttle buses and discounted hotel rooms for the tourists who have now been evacuated.

“We provided free shuttle buses for them that will take them to their hotels. For those who haven’t booked hotel rooms we are also providing hotel rooms with special prices,” Ketut Ardana, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies, said today.

“Hotels have committed to give special prices for them, at least 50percent discount for the first night,” Mr Ardana said.

On Lombok, the epicentre of Sunday evening’s 7 magnitude earthquake, authorities say the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers sift through rubble today. More than 13,000 homes have been flattened and authorities are rushing more aid to the region.

It comes as terrified locals on Lombok last night endured another strong aftershock, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, sending fresh waves of terror across the island.

Thousands of tourists swarmed beaches in Lombok yesterday to board rescue boats in the aftermath of the quake, which has so far seen 98 people dead and 236 severely injured.

Reports suggest the death toll could be as high 142 however this figure has not been officially confirmed.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop confirmed this morning there are no reports as yet of Australians being killed or seriously injured in the quake.

Ms Bishop urged Australians to cooperate with local authorities and keep updated on the situation.

“The death toll is rising. Local authorities now put it at about 98 but it could well go higher,” she told Sky News from Bali this morning.

“Our thoughts are with the families of those affected by this earthquake - it is the second in a week and it is a very significant one. There were aftershocks last night.

“There is widespread damage on Lombok.”

Ms Bishop is urging Australians stranded on the Gili Islands to remain patient as they seek to be evacuated as soon as possible.

There were reports overnight that the popular tourist islands had no water or power.

“Some are choosing to stay, others are seeking to be evacuated but it’s only accessible by boat so that can take some time,” she said.

“We urge Australians to work with the local authorities and to keep track of social media or local media to keep updated as to what’s happening. But it is a very serious situation. There is quite considerable damage to property and a loss of life.”

Five consular staff have been posted to Lombok to assist Australians. They are based in Senggigi, in the island’s north, and at Lombok airport.

British teacher James Kelsall, 28, described scenes of utter chaos on nearby Gili Trawangan where Navy officers allegedly kicked locals to stop them climbing on boats.

Kelsall, from London, said tourists and locals were stranded on the palm-fringed island off the coast of Lombok for more than six hours on Monday, reports The Sun.
Speaking from a beach as he awaited evacuation, he said: “There was rumbling and then all the power went off. We ran to the beach to be clear of buildings which we could hear falling all around.”

Michelle Thompson, an American who was holidaying on one of the Gilis with her husband, described a violent “scramble” to get on boats leaving for the main island.

She said: “People were just throwing their suitcases on board and I had to struggle to get my husband on because he was bleeding.”

Muhammad Faozal, head of West Nusa Tenggara’s tourism agency, said: “We cannot evacuate all of them all at once because we don’t have enough capacity on the boats.”

Some areas still hadn’t been reached because rescuers have been slowed down by collapsed bridges, electricity blackouts and damaged roads.

All but two of the dead were killed on Lombok; the others died on Bali. More than 230 people were seriously injured. Thousands of homes and buildings were damaged and those displaced camped wherever they could — in sports fields and on roadsides, cobbling together ramshackle shelters and building campfires for warmth.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and a team of Australian delegates escaped from the 12th floor of a Lombok hotel, after Sunday’s quake brought down parts of the building.

Other Australians have told of running for their lives, including resort manager Evan Burns who fled 3km with his wife and toddler son up a nearby mountain, fearing a tsunami.

“The force was so severe that it threw us out of bed, and the walls immediately started cracking,” he told AAP on Monday.

He estimates 70 per cent of his Senggigi resort’s guests have made their way to the airport but are stuck there, with flights unable to cope with the mass exodus.

Power and communications were severed in some areas, with landslides and a collapsed bridge blocking access to areas around the epicentre in the north. The Indonesian military said it would send a ship with medical aid, supplies and logistics support.

BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said emergency units in hospitals were overflowing and some patients were being treated in parking lots. The main hospital in the town of Tanjung in the north was severely damaged, so staff set up about 30 beds in the shade of trees and in a tent on a field to tend to the injured.

Despite it being a popular tourist destination, no foreigners were recorded among the dead, BNPB spokesman Nugroho told a news conference. Some 236 people were injured and more than 20,000 displaced, he said. The Indonesian Red Cross said on Twitter it had helped a woman give birth at a makeshift health care station after the quake.

One of the names she gave the baby boy was “Gempa”, which means earthquake. Long lines formed at the airport of Lombok’s main town, Mataram, as foreign visitors cut their holidays short. BNPB said 18 extra flights had been added for leaving tourists.