The death toll from a devastating tsunami in Indonesia has soared to 384 as rescuers search for dozens who are still unaccounted for.
At least 540 people were injured after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake triggered deadly waves up to 18ft high which slammed into the island of Sulawesi at a speed of almost 500mph.
Dozens of people were still missing, driving fears that the death toll will rise again as search and rescue teams go through the worst-hit areas.
Many bodies were found along the shoreline of the city of Palu on Saturday after victims were swept away by giant waves as they played on the beach.
Strong aftershocks continued to rock the coastal city after deadly waves swept through the scenic tourist town.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB, told reporters: "Many bodies were found along the shoreline because of the tsunami."
Hundreds had gathered for a festival on the beach of the city of Palu on Friday when waves smashed ashore at dusk, sweeping many to their death and destroying anything in their path.
Mr Nugroho added: "When the (tsunami) threat arose yesterday (Saturday), people were still doing their activities on the beach and did not immediately run and they became victims.
"The tsunami didn’t come by itself, it dragged cars, logs, houses, it hit everything on land."
Nugroho said the tsunami had struck with a speed of 497 mph, destroying buildings and infrastructure, and knocking out power and communications.
Palu’s airport was closed after its runway and air traffic control tower were damaged in the quake.
Some people climbed six metre (18 feet) trees to escape the tsunami and survived, he said.
He said the quake intensity was much higher in the fishing town of Donggala, which was closer to the epicentre, and they expect the damage there to be much worse, but have not been able to establish communications, Reuters reported.
Terrifying video posted online showed huge waves approaching and crashing into homes along Palu’s shoreline on Friday.
On Saturday, bodies were lined up along the street, some in bags and some with their faces covered with clothes.
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Mr Nugroho said thousands of houses, hospitals, shopping malls and hotels collapsed, a bridge washed away and the main highway to Palu cut due to a landslide.
Makeshift medical tents were set up outside a hospital in the chaotic aftermath, as medics treated dozens of injured people on the floor.
Shelters have been set up for those who have nowhere else to go after their homes were destroyed.
As the search for victims continues, the military has started sending cargo planes from the capital Jakarta to deliver relief aid to survivors.
Indonesian officials have are facing criticism following yet another natural disaster for the Southeast Asian nation.
The country’s meteorological and geophysics agency BMKG issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but lifted it 34 minutes later.
The agency has been criticised for not informing a tsunami had hit Palu on Saturday, though officials said waves had come within the time the warning was issued.
More than 600,000 people live in Donggala and Palu.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by powerful earthquakes.
In August, a series of major quakes killed over 500 people in the tourist island of Lombok and destroyed dozens of villages along its northern coast.
Palu was hit by tsunami in 1927 and 1968, according to BNPB.
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