VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 The National Defense Forces (TNI) on Monday ( 30 July ) sent 80 medical workers to help the victims of the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that rattled the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara province the day before.

"We have sent assistance, including a field hospital equipped with 80 medical workers, to two different areas," TNI Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said in Jakarta on Monday.

The TNI has also dispatched 140 soldiers to help search tourists trapped in Mount Rinjani following the earthquake, he stated. According to the information received on Monday morning, some 400 tourists are still being trapped in the volcano.

"The National Police, the National Defense Forces, and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) have been working to find the local and foreign tourists trapped (in the mountain)," he remarked.

He added that the TNI also helped affected children recover from trauma.

A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the islands on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring hundreds of others. The quake rocked the island early in the morning when many people were still asleep. On Sunday evening, the president led a limited cabinet meeting to discuss ways to handle the impact of the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that rattled the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa earlier in the day.

The meeting was held shortly after the president arrived at the Sultan Muhammad Kaharuddin Airport in Sumbawa Besar District, Bey Machmudin, the presidential secretariat`s deputy for protocol, press, and media affairs, noted in a statement. (ant)