**The toll from a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia is expected to rise as rescuers search through collapsed buildings, officials say.**At least 44 people have been confirmed dead so far, after the quake struck on Wednesday afternoon.
More than 300 have been injured and many hundreds of homes and buildings destroyed, say emergency officials.
The quake epicentre was about 115km (70 miles) off the south coast of Java, near Tasikmalaya.
“We are still searching for the survivors who might be buried under their houses or buildings,” disaster management agency staff Maman Susanto told AFP news agency.
“About 18,000 houses and buildings have been damaged,” he said.
Fear and uncertainty
Communications links to settlements on the south coast were broken by the quake, so the extent of damage and casualties is not yet known.
About 5,000 people have reportedly sought shelter in makeshift tents.
In pictures: Indonesia earthquake
‘The whole building was shaking’](http://www.paklinks.com/2/low/talking_point/8234205.stm)
“They have taken refuge not only because their houses were ruined, but also because they fear there will be aftershocks,” said local official Obar Sobarna.
Mudslides have inundated homes, collapsed rooftops and damaged properties in Tasikmalaya, including the mayor’s home and a mosque.
The tremors were felt in the capital, Jakarta, 200km to the north, where hundreds fled into the streets from offices and shops.
A local tsunami alert was issued but revoked shortly afterwards.
Landslide
One badly hit area was the district of Cianjur, about 100km south of Jakarta, where a landslide has left 40 people missing, feared dead.
Others were killed when buildings collapsed in Tasikmalaya and in the town of Sukabumi.
The quake was also felt 500km away from its epicentre in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, and on the resort island of Bali.
In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people around Asia.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most active areas for earthquakes and volcanic activity in the world.
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