At least 14 people have died in Indonesia, after a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the tourist island of Lombok and the national disaster agency is searching for more victims.
An Indonesian village security officer examines the remains of houses, after the earthquake. Photo: AFP
The 6.4 magnitude quake hit the central island of Lombok just before 07:00 local time on Sunday.
The island attracts tourists from around the world due to its beaches and hiking trails, and is located about 40km east of Bali.
Hundreds of people are injured and thousands of homes are damaged, officials say.
A Malaysian tourist who was on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani is among those killed.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was 50km north-east of the city of Mataram, in northern Lombok.
It was followed by more than 60 smaller earthquakes, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 5.7.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said there was no indication any New Zealanders were injured in the powerful earthquake.
It said there were currently 13 New Zealanders registered as being in Lombok and 416 across the whole of Indonesia.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country's disaster agency, said that most casualties occurred when victims were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete.
"The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics," he said.
He posted images showing collapsed buildings and streets littered with rubble.
Dampak gempa 6.4 SR di 28 km barat laut Lombok Timur kedalaman 10 km pada 29/7/2018 pukul 05.47 WIB, beberapa bangunan dan rumah mengalami kerusakan di Sambelia Lombok Timur. BPBD masih melakukan pendataan. pic.twitter.com/NaaDmgrr43
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) July 28, 2018
"The quake felt so strong... tourists were panicked and frightened and escaped from hotels," Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, a citizen protection director at the foreign ministry, told BBC Indonesian.
BBC Marathi journalist Vinayak Gaikwad was on Gili Trawangan island, about 7km from Lombok, at the time of the earthquake.
"The tremors were strong - I noticed waves in the hotel pool," he said. "A group of us ran out of the hotel.
"Thirty minutes later there was the first strong aftershock. The locals were worried because many of their structures are made from wood and bamboo, but the tourists were the most scared."
Photo: US Geological Survey
One resident told AFP news agency about the chaos that followed the earthquake.
"Everybody in my house panicked, we all ran outside," he said. "All my neighbours also ran outside and the electricity was suddenly cut off."
Mount Rinjani National Park, a popular destination for trekkers, has been closed due to landslides.
Climber Khairul Azi said he and a group of hikers were stranded after the quake.
"We are unable to get out of the area because many roads have been cut off," he told the New Straits Times.
"The situation here is hectic and we're still trying to make contact with the other Malaysian climbers," he added.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Ring of Fire - the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.
More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the ring.
A magnitude 6.5 quake struck off the north-east coast of Sumatra island in 2016, killing dozens of people and displacing more than 40,000.
- BBC / RNZ
