A moderately strong earthquake and an aftershock hit Indonesia’s resort island of Bali early Saturday, killing at least three people and destroying dozens of homes.
The quake hit just before dawn, causing people to run outdoors in a panic. It struck just after the island has begun to reopen to tourism as the pandemic wanes.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 4.8 quake was centered 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) northeast of Singaraja, a Bali port town. Its shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) may have amplified the amount of damage.
A magnitude 4.3 aftershock followed. That quake was relatively deep, at 282 kilometers (174 miles).
Photos from the island showed homes buried in rocks and mud and buildings collapsed, walls splintered on the ground.
Gede Darmada, head of the island’s Search and Rescue Agency, said the agency was still collecting updates on damage and casualties.
Apart from the three confirmed dead, at least seven people were reported hurt, with head injuries or broken bones.
The earthquake triggered landslides in a hilly district, killing at least two people and cutting off access to at least three villages, Darmada said.
It toppled homes and temples in Karangasem, the area closest to the epicenter, killing a 3-year-old girl who was hit by falling debris, he said.
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