Indonesia earthquake: at least 34 killed on Sulawesi island

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Friday reached 34 by the afternoon and was expected to rise further as rescuers searched through the rubble of severely damaging other buildings.

Hundreds more were injured when the 6.2-magnitude quake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among residents of the island, which was hit by a huge quake two and a half years ago in which thousands were killed.

"The latest information we have is that 26 people are dead in Mamuju city," said Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster mitigation agency.

He said the death toll could grow. "Many of the dead are buried under rubble."

Separately, the national disaster agency said at least eight people had died in an area south of Mamuju, a city of some 110,000 in West Sulawesi province, bringing the total death toll to 34.

Rescuers were searching for more than a dozen patients and staff trapped beneath the rubble of the  Mamuju hospital.

"The hospital is flattened – it collapsed," said Arianto from the rescue agency in Mamuju city, who goes by one name.

Rescuers were also trying to reach a family of eight trapped under the rubble of their home, he said.

The country's search-and-rescue agency earlier said at least one hotel had partially collapsed after the quake struck at 2.18am local time, while the regional governor's office suffered extensive damage.

A Mamuju resident said damage across the city was severe.

"Roads are cracked and many buildings collapsed," said Hendra, 28.

"The quake was very strong ... I woke up and ran away with my wife."

Images from the area showed residents fleeing the seaside city in cars and motorbikes as they drove past corrugated metal roofs and other building debris scattered on the roadside.

The meteorological agency warned residents that the area could be hit by strong aftershocks and to avoid the beachfront in case of a tsunami.

"The aftershocks could be as strong, or stronger, than this morning's quake," said Dwikorita Karnawati, chief of the agency.

"There is potential for a tsunami from subsequent aftershocks. Don't wait for a tsunami first because they can happen very quickly," she added.

The local airport in Mamuju had also been damaged, authorities said.

The epicentre was 36 kilometres south of Mamuju and the quake had a relatively shallow depth of 18km, the United States Geological Survey said.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity because of its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.

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Indonesian earthquake - in pictures