'The noise was like a thunderclap'

A man injured in the earthquake lies in hospital in Denpasar, Bali

BBC News readers in Bali have been describing their experiences of an earthquake which struck the Indonesian holiday island at dawn on Saturday.

At least seven people have been injured by the quake - measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale - whose epicentre was around 75km (45 miles) south of Denpasar.

Here are some of your stories:

I was initially woken by a groups of dogs barking extremely loudly, then 10 minutes later the earthquake hit - they must have sensed it. The walls were shaking and the vanity mirror in my bathroom came off of the wall and smashed. That's when I thought being on the second floor and standing under a door frame might not be safe enough. So I ran down the stairs out to an open area where I was confronted by two hysterical German girls. It really was quite surreal...
Adrian Farrow, Seminyak, Bali

The noise was unbelievable like a thunderclap, a lot of rattling windows and wobbling appliances. Most people ran outside, there was some initial confusion as to whether it was an earthquake or a bomb. Then after the shaking stopped, the concern among the hotel guests was of a possible tsunami, some folk went back into the building and stood on the upper floors. Now things are getting back to normal, people eating their breakfast in the hotel, and the staff are already busy painting over the cracks that have appeared in the walls and ceiling ...
Hans Baldwin, Doha, Qatar

Just walking in the middle of the house I heard a noise similar to loud growling and then the entire house shook, windows rattling. as I headed towards the door, I felt another quake and when I was outside I turned and I saw our two story house shaking and the water in the swimming pool was making waves. It is the strongest quake I have felt in Bali where I've lived for about 20 years.
Bhagawati Morriss, Denpasar, Indonesia

I was out surfing near Seminyak when the earthquake hit this morning at 7am. No sign of tidal surge or tsunami warning. No visible damage to any buildings in the south of Bali. The biggest worry is how the seismic activity will affect the one remaining power cable that carries all electricity from East Java to Bali. If that ruptures (again) the whole island blacks out, sometimes for up to five hours.
James Watling, Bali Indonesia

I am staying in Legian, in the South of Bali. I had just woken up and was making a morning cup of coffee when the plants outside my villa started to shudder. It felt and sounded as if a train was whizzing right by. Then, a couple of seconds later, the whole villa started to sway from side to side! I immediately looked for a "safe" place to take shelter but luckily it was over in a few seconds.
Lee Gunn, Glasgow, Scotland

We were woken up to a shaking bed, no warning had been given, our entire building was shaking, I couldn't believe how noisy it was! We dragged our daughters out of bed and found a safe location to wait it out.. We could hear panicked people outside as they ran from their rooms! It was really scary hopefully we'll get some warning if it should happen again!
Marie and Les Szalai, Kuta, Bali

I was walking in the monkey forest in Ubud and when the quake hit, the monkeys stopped foraging for food and stared at the sky.
Challe, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

It was not that bad. Although having lived in LA for many years and being a little jaded by earthquakes, this one did start my heart pounding and I did run out of the building...fast. But then this is the ring of fire.
Jane, Ubud, Bali

I was asleep in my hotel in Denpasar and me and my friend were woken up by what sounded like a very strong wind, next minute the beds and room started shaking and we ran outside to see that everyone else had done the same, it was very scary.
Stephen Hewitt, St Helens, Merseyside

The quake was one of the strongest felt in Bali for a long time. Although the local people reacted calmly a fair few tourists were pretty shaken by the experience. It happened when a lot of tourists were taking their morning shower before breakfast. By 9.00 AM back to normal but a big conversation point at the breakfast table
Robin, Currently in Bali, from Aylesbury UK

My wife and I are in Sanur, Bali. The earthquake woke us up and we immediately thought 'Tsunami' and then about being in a 4 story building. We left our room quickly and a few other guests had done the same but most people stayed in their rooms. Those that were about seemed very calm, we were almost embarrassed about being scared!
Adam Buckley, Milton Keynes

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