Qualla: Trapped on Mount Rinjani https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:27 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Trapped on Mount Rinjani https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake Trapped on Mount Rinjani: Introduction https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. Somewhere above 2,000 meters on Mount Rinjani, more than 800 hikers woke to the sound of the mountain tearing itself apart. The magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Lombok on the morning of July 29, 2018 sent landslides cascading down the volcano's northern slopes, burying the trails that tourists from Thailand, the United States, and two dozen other countries had climbed the day before. Below, in the villages of Sembalun and Sambelia, concrete buildings had collapsed. In the regional hospital in Selong, patients were being evacuated into the street. And in the confusion of the first hours, nobody could agree on how many people were actually on the mountain. The answer, when officials finally counted, was 1,226 -- and every one of them needed to come down.

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Trapped on Mount Rinjani: The Foreshock No One Recognized https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. The earthquake's epicenter was in Sembalun Subdistrict, in East Lombok Regency. It registered at magnitude 6.4 on the moment magnitude scale, at a shallow depth of just 14 kilometers -- close enough to the surface to cause intense localized damage. Local residents said it was the...

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-the-foreshock-no-one-recognized.mp3 0:06 2 full Trapped on Mount Rinjani: The Mountain's Grip https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. Mount Rinjani rises 3,726 meters above Lombok, its caldera holding the turquoise waters of Lake Segara Anak. It is one of Indonesia's most popular trekking destinations, drawing hikers from around the world to its crater rim and hot springs. On the morning of July 29, the mountai...

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-the-mountains-grip.mp3 0:06 3 full Trapped on Mount Rinjani: Three Days to Get Them Down https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. Search and rescue teams prepared two helicopters for the evacuation, but the operation was anything but swift. The rugged terrain, continuing aftershocks, and the sheer number of people on the mountain made extraction slow and dangerous. On July 30, more than 700 hikers remained ...

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-three-days-to-get-them-down.mp3 0:06 4 full Trapped on Mount Rinjani: The Aftermath in the Lowlands https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. While the mountain rescue dominated international headlines, the damage below was severe. In Sembalun, a community health center was significantly damaged, leaving medical care in the worst-hit area compromised. Patients at dr. Soedjono regional hospital in Selong had to be evacu...

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-the-aftermath-in-the-lowlands.mp3 0:06 5 full Trapped on Mount Rinjani: Prelude to Catastrophe https://qualla.com/july-2018-lombok-earthquake/ Photo credit Mikenorton, CC BY-SA 3.0. The July earthquake killed 20 people and displaced thousands. One week later, on August 5, the magnitude 6.9 mainshock would kill 563. The July 29 event had weakened buildings across Lombok, setting up thousands of structures for failure when the larger quake arrived. The BMKG wo...

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Image: Mikenorton | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/d/b/july-2018-lombok-earthquake-wp/qwdb-trapped-on-mount-rinjani-prelude-to-catastrophe.mp3 0:06 6 full