The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Indonesia, which killed at least 42 people and forced thousands to flee buildings, is likely to rise, government agencies said.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook buildings in the capital Jakarta this afternoon and flattened homes in villages closer to the epicentre in west Java.
At least 42 people were killed and more than 300 people injured, the government said.
Officials said about 1,300 houses were damaged although local media put the number at 3,500.
Another 42 people were missing, presumed dead, after the quake triggered a landslide in the district of Cianjur, about 100km south of Jakarta, said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Mr Kardono said the death toll could be much higher as a number of houses and offices had collapsed or suffered severe damage.
Some areas near the epicentre could not be contacted for several hours, and communications were slow to recover.
'Communications with the coastal areas were completely cut, so we don't know the conditions there,' Mr Kardono said.
'No reports have come from those areas, although we assume those were the most affected ones. It's possible the death toll could grow higher.'
The health ministry said it was sending medical teams to the affected areas in west Java.
