A powerful earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday, triggering a 3m tall tsunami that an official said swept away houses in at least two cities.
The powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia's central Sulawesi has claimed dozens of victims, a disaster official said Saturday, as rescuers raced to reach the region.
Indonesian media, citing national disaster agency, says death toll from Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami rises to 384.
An MFAT spokesperson says they have no information at this stage to suggest that any New Zealanders have been affected.
There are currently 488 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Indonesia.
All New Zealanders in Indonesia are advised to register their details on www.safetravel.govt.nz follow any instructions issued by local authorities and let their family know they are okay.
Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 384 people have died in the hard-hit city of Palu alone, Indonesian TV reported.
He told a press conference earlier today four hospitals in Palu reported hundreds were also injured.
He earlier said the fate of "tens to hundreds" of people involved in a beach festival in Palu when the tsunami struck was unknown.
Patients are evacuated from a hospital following a strong earthquake in Poso, central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo / AP
The coastline has been devastated in central Sulawesi where the 3-meter high tsunami — triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Friday — smashed into two cities and several settlements.
Mr Nugroho said the tsunami hit Palu, the capital of central Sulawesi province, as well as the smaller city of Donggala and several other coastal settlements
In Palu, the city of more than 380,000 people was strewn with debris from collapsed buildings.
The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently magnified the force of the tsunami waters as they raced into the tight inlet.
Photographs from Palu showed partially covered bodies on the ground near the shore, the morning after tsunami waves hit the city.
In the nearby city of Donggala a large bridge with yellow arches that spanned a coastal river had collapsed.
Communications with the area are difficult because power and telecommunications are cut, hampering search and rescue efforts.
TERRIFYING FOOTAGE OF TSUNAMI
Indonesia's geophysics agency confirmed the tsunami occurred after the agency originally called off its tsunami warning.
Indonesian TV showed a smartphone video of a powerful wave hitting Palu, with people screaming and running in fear.
The footage purportedly shows a number of small restaurants near the Palu Grand Mall swept away by the wave, which some have referred to as a tsunami online.
The water smashed into buildings and a large mosque that collapsed under the force.
Houses were swept away and families were reported missing, Nugroho said, adding that communications and power to the area were disrupted.
"The cut to telecommunications and darkness are hampering efforts to obtain information," he said.
"All national potential will be deployed, and tomorrow morning we will deploy Hercules and helicopters to provide assistance in tsunami-affected areas."
Evacuations are underway and people have been warned to remain alert and outside their homes.
The main airport in Palu — a city of 350,000 — was shut after the tsunami struck and was expected to stay closed for at least 24 hours.
The region was rocked by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and numerous strong aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.7.
An earlier magnitude 6.1 quake in central Sulawsi killed several people, injured 10 and damaged dozens of houses.
A patient is evacuated from a hospital following a strong earthquake in Poso, central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo / AP
The strongest of two major quakes was centred at a depth of 10km about 56km northeast of the central Sulawesi town of Donggala.
The chief of the meteorology and geophysics agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, said the tsunami waves were up to three metres high.
She said the tsunami warning triggered by the biggest quake, in place for about half an hour, was lifted after the tsunami was over.
DFAT: NO AUSSIES AFFECTED
The Department of Freign Affairs and Trade told News Corp Australia in a statement today: "The Australian Government is not aware of any Australians affected by the earthquake but is continuing to make enquiries with local authorities. At this time, details and impacts of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake (reported as 7.7 locally) on Minahassa Peninsula, Sulawesi, and a subsequent tsunami are still emerging, and extent of the damage is unknown."
Nugroho said the military was deploying troops to Palu and Donggala and the national police were also mobilising to help the emergency response, along with personnel from the search-and-rescue and disaster agencies.
"People are encouraged to remain vigilant," Sutopo said.
"It is better not to be in a house or building because the potential for aftershocks can be dangerous.
"People are encouraged to gather in safe areas. Avoid the slopes of hills."
EYEWITNESSES' TSUNAMI HORROR
Mirza Arisam, a resident of Kendari, the capital of neighbouring Southeast Sulawesi, said his uncle and his family of five, including three children, were on vacation in Palu and he has been unable to contact them since the tsunami hit.
At least one person has been confirmed dead so far.
"All the things in my house were swaying and the quake left a small crack on my wall," he said.
"But this was not the first time. Last week we felt an earthquake that had a stronger tremor so this time we didn't panic,just avoided the buildings and now everything has returned to normal," Mr Fikri said.
1 orang meninggal dunia, 10 orang luka-luka dan puluhan rumah rusak akibat gempa dengan kekuatan magnitudo 6 mengguncang Donggala Sulawesi Tengah. Daerah yang mengalami kerusakan ada di Kec Sinreja Kab Donggala yang dekat pusat gempa. Gempa susulan masih terus terjadi. pic.twitter.com/u7d27niBYx
Friday's tremor was centred 78 kilometres north of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, but was felt in the far south of the island in its largest city Makassar and on the neighbouring island of Kalimantan, Indonesia's portion of Borneo island.
The initial tremor, which was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, struck as evening prayers were about to begin in the world's biggest Muslim majority country on the holiest day of the week, when mosques are especially busy.
Quakes of similar magnitude can cause great damage to poorly built or badly designed structures, including the toppling of chimneys, columns and walls, according to USGS.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the PacificBasin.
In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
