KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian killed in one of two earthquakes to strike Lombok, Indonesia on Sunday has been identified as deputy executive editor in chief of Sin Chew Daily, Datin Tai Siew Kim.
She was 56 years old, Bernama reported.
Tai had been holidaying on the island with her son and a group of old schoolmates when the two tremblors, both measuring above 5.0 on the Richter scale, struck the island at 2.07pm and 2.09pm.
It is learnt that Tai’s 20-year-old son was injured in the earthquake and is being treated at a local hospital.
The group had been in Lombok since March 14 and was scheduled to fly back to Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Tai’s husband, China Press editor-in-chief Datuk Teoh Yang Khoon, is set to fly to Lombok.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed Tai’s death via the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.
It said that Tai and 22 other Malaysians were at the Tiu Kelep Senaru Waterfall in Northern Lombok when the quake occurred, triggering a landslide.
Six Malaysians are still unaccounted for.
Wisma Putra added that six other Malaysians were injured in the incident and are being treated at a hospital on the island.
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported that the first earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale was centred 24km northeast of East Lombok-West Nusa Tenggara; while the second, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, was centred 7km northwest of East Lombok-West Nusa Tenggara.