Lombok declares emergency

Aerial view of a temporary shelter in the village of Menangga Baris on Indonesia's Lombok island on August 22, 2018 after a series of recent earthquakes. -AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s tourist island of Lombok is battling malaria, authorities said, declaring a health emergency after a series of earthquakes in July and August forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

The quakes and aftershocks that killed nearly 500 people are estimated to have caused five trillion rupiah (RM1.4bil) in damage to hospitals and public infrastructure on the island’s northern coast.