A Mosgiel woman on holiday in Bali has described the terrifying moment a deadly magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the neighbouring island of Lombok.
The death toll climbed to 98 on Tuesday and was expected to go higher as the search for survivors continued. Officials say more than 2000 people had been evacuated from the three Gili islands off the northwest coast of Lombok.
Justine Foster was on the beach in Sanur, in Bali's southeast, when the quake struck on Sunday.
The "horrible rolling'' earthquake went on for at least a minute, she said.
"All I can say is that the earthquake was very scary and went for so long ... something I never want to experience again.''
King's High School pupil Sam Gare (16) was at the Pullman Hotel in nearby Legian, on holiday with his parents, when the quake began on Sunday evening, local time.
The Dunedin resident said the earthquake felt "humongous''.
"It was like someone was in the room above me throwing chairs and playing with the doors.
"I ran out of my hotel room on the third floor and ... saw young kids and parents screaming for their children. The children were also crying in fear.
"We all made it downstairs to the assembly point, and it was so cool for everyone to be checking up on each other until the managers came.''
Otago Daily Times online editor Vaughan Elder is on holiday with his wife and baby and two friends, in the town of Ubud in Bali's central uplands.
Mr Elder said there had been no apparent damage near their hotel in Ubud but the "scary'' earthquake rolled on for a long time, causing panic among holidaymakers.
"It was a big shake where we are in Ubud and everyone left their hotel rooms and went out on to the street.
"The scariest thing was how long the shaking went for.
"It was ... a little worrying knowing there could be more aftershocks''.
However, his 4-month-old baby was not fazed by the earthquake.
"She slept through the whole thing.''
His friends had been in a supermarket when the quake struck.
"Stuff fell off shelves and everyone freaked out and ran outside''.
Lombok had already been hit on July 29 by a 6.4 magnitude quake that killed 17 people and briefly stranded several hundred trekkers on the slopes of a volcano.
- additional reporting by Reuters
