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Strong aftershocks continued to hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where a major earthquake and tsunami left at least 384 dead and 500 wounded.
Dozens of people are still missing and some are believed to be trapped in the debris of collapsed buildings in the city of Palu.
Bodies were lying in the streets of the city and the wounded are being treated in tents because of the damage to the hospitals.
An air traffic controller at Palu Airport died ensuring that a plane took off safely following the Friday earthquake.
The magnitude of casualties and damage beyond the city is still not clear.
- In pictures: earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia
The survivors remained outside, as the authorities advised them not to return home as a precaution. Some buildings have been completely flattened.
Author's right of the image
Grant Dotulong
It is feared that people will be trapped in the debris of the Roa Roa de Palu hotel
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it lies on the Ring of Fire – the series of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that surround virtually all of the Pacific Rim.
In 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra killed 226,000 people in the Indian Ocean, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.
"We do not know their destiny"
By Rebecca Henschke, BBC News, Sulawesi
As we travel through the region devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami, we meet people who are desperate to find the fate of their loved ones.
"I know that I have already lost three members of my family," said a man, "two of them were elderly parents, but a young father".
Author's right of the image
AFP
This road near Palu was partially blocked by a landslide
Other members of his family are still missing. "We do not know their destiny," he told me.
The images of devastation coming out of Palu are too strangely familiar to many Indonesians. They evoke memories of the devastating 2004 tsunami that hit Aceh province.
Why were so many people killed on Friday?
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred at 18:03 (10:03 GMT) at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) just in the center of Sulawesi.
A tsunami warning has been issued but raised in the meantime.
The Indonesian meteorological agency has been criticized for its response, but officials said the waves had occurred while the warning was in place.
People, including dancers, were still busy on Palu Beach (population: 335,000), preparing for a festival, and were captured when waves up to 3m high were washed away.
Author's right of the image
EPA
Jembatan Empat Bridge in Palu fell
The video on social networks shows people screaming and running in panic.
"The tsunami … resulted in cars, logs, houses," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the Indonesian relief agency. "Everything touched the earth."
Some people survived by climbing 6-meter trees, he added.
There is still information on the impact of the disaster on communities along the coast from Palu and closer to the epicenter of the earthquake, including the small town of Donggala where at least one death and 10 people were injured.
"We have not heard anything from Donggala and it is extremely disturbing," said the Red Cross in a statement.
"It's already a tragedy, but it could be a lot worse."
What do we do for survivors?
The aid is conveyed from the capital Jakarta to Palu airport, using the part of its track still intact. The airport is also closed because of the damage caused by the earthquake.
A military field hospital was erected in the city.
Outside a police hospital, corpses are deposited in bags on the outside to allow relatives to pick up missing relatives.
Author's right of the image
AFP
People live in the open since the Palu earthquake
The regional chief of the Association of Indonesian Doctors (IDI), Komang, asked for immediate help from the authorities.
"We need tents, medicine, medical staff, tarpaulins, blankets and other things," he said.
Relief operations are hampered by power cuts and damage to roads and other infrastructure.
Author's right of the image
EPA
Field hospital treats injuries in Palu
The UK-based UK charity Save the Children sends an assessment team to the disaster area to better plan its response.
"Unfortunately, the more information we get, the more the situation seems to be bad," BBC spokesman Tom Howells told the BBC.
What happened at the airport?
Anthonius Gunawan Agung, 21, was the only person left in the airport control tower after the earthquake, reports Australian broadcaster ABC.
Author's right of the image
EPA
The broken tower at the airport
The others escaped when the tower began to swing and the walls began to crack, but Mr. Agung remained behind to ensure that Batik Air flight 6321, which was on the runway, was away safely.
He then jumped from the fourth floor of the tower, fearing that it was about to collapse, and was fatally injured.
Yohannes Sirait, spokesperson for Air Navigation Indonesia, said he had potentially saved the lives of hundreds of people aboard the plane, losing his own.
Colleagues paid tribute on Twitter, sharing photos of Mr. Agung and soldiers wearing his covered body in front of a guard of honor.
According to another development, more than half of the 560 inmates at Palu Prison escaped after the collapse of its walls, according to the Associated Press news agency.
"It was very difficult for the security guards to prevent detainees from escaping because they were so panicked and had to save themselves," said its director, Adhi Yan Ricoh.
"Do not even think about finding the detainees, we do not even have time to report this incident to our superiors."
How important is danger to Indonesia?
More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the Ring of Fire.
Last month, a series of deadly earthquakes hit the Indonesian island of Lombok. The largest, on August 5, killed more than 460 people.
- WATCH: The magnitude of the 2004 tsunami
- Tsunami in the Indian Ocean: now and now
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