65 Thai tourists arrive from Lombok island

BANGKOK, Aug 1 (TNA) -- Sixty-five Thai tourists who had been stranded on quake-hit Lombok island, Indonesia, already returned to their homeland. Among the people who arrived on the FD9002 flight of AirAsia at 12.15am, Natha Raweepusita said she joined a group of 16 tourists visiting Mount Rinjani. Her group was on the volcano on their second day and was walking to another camp when two quakes occurred. The second quake was so powerful that rocks collapsed and the crater was damaged, she said. All Thai tourists in her group were safe. Fortunately their area was covered with mobile phone and internet signals which allowed them to report their situation and call for help, Ms Natha said. Indonesian rescue workers and soldiers helped the Thai tourists and Thai ambassador to Jakarta Songphol Sukchan and the military attaché at the Thai embassy received Thai tourists on Lombok, she said. The island was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Sunday morning and about 500 tourists from many countries were rescued from the island. (TNA)