Official death toll surpasses 300 as 3rd major earthquake hits Indonesia's Lombok island

A Hindu temple collapsed during an aftershock in Lombok island
(Image credit: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images)

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Lombok on Thursday, the third major temblor to rattle the island in just over a week, and security minister Wiranto told reporters the official death toll from the biggest of the three, Sunday's magnitude 7 quake, has reached 319 people. Reporters for The Associated Press witnessed people injured and buildings collapsed from Thursday's aftershock. The Red Cross says it is funneling its resources toward reaching the 20,000 people who haven't yet received any help.

Indonesia says more than 1,400 people were injured in Sunday's earthquake, and more than 156,000 people were left homeless. Lombok is a popular tourist destination near Bali.

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Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.