Eyewitness: Yogyakarta earthquake

By Orlando Guzman
BBC correspondent, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

At about 0555 in the morning, local time, I was in my house getting ready to leave when I felt a powerful quake.

Many of the injured are receiving treatment out on the streets

It was so strong that I could hardly stand up.

I ran into the bedroom to get my family out of the house and the whole house felt like it was going to collapse on us.

I could hear all my neighbours screaming that the earth underneath us was still moving a good minute or so after we were outside safely.

Yogyakarta, where we are living, has been on the edge for the past weeks because a nearby volcano, Mount Merapi, has been erupting and spewing ash.

The first thing that came to mind was: "Oh no, this could be a major eruption".

Major damage

But that wasn't the case. Geologists are now saying that this quake has no connection to the active volcano, but the quake did cause the volcano's fissures to open up and let out hot gas and ash, which could be seen by villagers shortly after the quake.

People are still very much on edge here. A lot of them are too afraid to go back in their houses.

Every other house along the main road heading south is either flattened or seriously damaged

I was outside earlier and along the streets people have set up mats and they have gathered their belongings and are sleeping outside.

Some have even set up plastic tents on a football pitch nearby.

The damage is most significant along a wide swathe south of Yogyakarta toward the Indian Ocean, where the epicentre is apparently located.

Every other house along the main road heading south is either flattened or seriously damaged.

Many people are being treated along the roadside and at temporary clinics. The hospitals have reported having to treat people in the parking lots because of the sheer numbers of people who are injured.

But at this moment it is really difficult to figure out how many people have been killed or injured, although officials are saying at least in the thousands.