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The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck central Indonesia, Sulawesi, have claimed many lives, a relief official said Saturday as rescue workers traveled to the area.
Disaster officials have not published an official report, but reports from three hospitals seen Saturday by the Associated Press have reported 18 deaths.
Dawn has revealed a devastated coastline in central Sulawesi, where the 3-meter-high (10-foot) tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Friday two cities and several settlements.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the agency responsible for disasters, said in a televised interview that there were "many casualties".
In Palu, capital of central Sulawesi province, the city of over 380,000 people was littered with debris from collapsed buildings.
The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently amplified the strength of the tsunami waters as they headed for the narrow entrance.
An AP reporter saw bodies partially covered with tarps and a man carrying a dead child through the wreckage.
In the nearby town of Donggala, a large bridge spanning a coastal river collapsed.
Indonesian television broadcast a smartphone video showing a powerful wave hitting Palu, with people screaming and running in fear. The water has struck buildings and a large mosque already damaged by the earthquake.
Communications with the region is difficult because electricity and telecommunications are cut off, hampering search and rescue efforts.
Nugroho said the Palu airport runway was undamaged and that essential planes could land there.
The Indonesian president said Friday night that he had instructed the security minister to coordinate the government's response to the earthquake and tsunami that hit central Sulawesi.
Joko "Jokowi" Widodo also told reporters in his hometown, Solo, that he had enlisted the help of the country's military chief for search and rescue operations.
UK spokesman Stephane Dujarric said government officials are in contact with Indonesian authorities and "stand ready to provide support as needed".
Indonesia is exposed to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arch of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia caused a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
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