Indonesia tsunami video shows water crashing into coastal buildings in wake of earthquake

Video shows destruction caused in city close to epicentre of magnitude 7.5 earthquake

A tsunami has been shown striking an Indonesian city in footage filmed in a region earlier hit by a powerful earthquake.

Video circulated online thought to have been shot in Palu, the capital of the island of Sulawesi, shows waves destroying several seafront buildings.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the island, east of Borneo, on Friday, hours after a smaller tremor had killed one person and injured 10 others in the area.

Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for Sulawesi, although this was withdrawn less than an hour later.

However, the footage, which includes a campaign billboard for a candidate in an upcoming election in Palu, appears to confirm the region has indeed been hit by strong waves.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, warned citizens to remain vigilant as aftershocks from the earthquake continue to hit Sulawesi.

Mr Nugroho said the quake had been felt “very strongly” and casualties and damage to buildings were expected.

During a TV interview, the spokesman said houses had been swept away and families reported missing. Communications to the area have been disrupted.

“The cut to telecommunications and darkness are hampering efforts to obtain information,” he said.

“All national potential will be deployed, and tomorrow morning we will deploy Hercules [aircraft] and helicopters to provide assistance in tsunami-affected areas.”

Authorities believe they will not be able to estimate the true scale of the destruction until Saturday, due to the fact the earthquake hit shortly before nightfall.

Indonesia, which sits on the notorious “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes in the Pacific, is particularly susceptible to earthquakes.

In 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that led to the deaths of more than 230,000 people in 13 countries.

Additional reporting by AP