Indonesian quake death toll climbs to 108

A major earthquake near Indonesia's west coast left 108 people dead and around 500 missing, an official told local media Tuesday.

Among those missing were nine Australians who were in the region on a surfing vacation, one of whom is a police officer. The Australian government was working with local authorities to find them or the boat in which they were believed to be traveling.

A tsunami warning was issued and then canceled after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Mentawai Islands area of West Sumatra province at 9:42pm local time Monday.

The quake hit at a depth of 12.8 miles (20.6 kilometers) about 150 miles west of Bengkulu in Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was followed by a powerful 6.1-magnitude aftershock about five hours later in the same area.

Waves up to 10 feet (three meters) tall hit South Pagai Island, destroying 80 percent of buildings in Muntei village, according to Health Ministry Crisis Center head Mudjiharto.

At least 160 people, mostly women and children, were missing from the Indonesian village of Betu Monga, Reuters quoted an official with the regional branch of the Department of Fisheries as saying.

"Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found. 160 are still missing, mostly women and children," the official said, adding that there were reports of people being unable to hold onto their children amid the waves.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. The archipelago is frequently struck by powerful earthquakes.

A giant quake hit off Sumatra's coast Dec. 26, 2004, triggering an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia's Aceh province.