The ruins of cars as seen after tsunami hit in Palu, Indonesia September 29, 2018.
Indonesia's geophysics agency lifted a tsunami warning 34 minutes after it was first issued following a major earthquake that sent huge waves crashing into the northeastern coast of Sulawesi island, killing hundreds and leaving thousands more homeless.
The 7.5 magnitude quake and tsunami, which hit the city of Palu about 1,500 km (940 miles) from Jakarta and further along the coastline, killed at least 384 people. Officials said on Saturday the death toll was likely to rise.
Hundreds of people had gathered for a festival on the beach in Palu on Friday when waves as high as six metres (18 feet) smashed onshore at dusk, sweeping many to their death.
Gigantic waves can be seen crashing against the coastline as water gushes through streets and damages the local mosque and other buildings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi as a tsunami hits following an earthquake.
Massive waves crash on shore as tsunami hits Indonesian island of Sulawesi
The agency said it followed standard operating procedure and made the call to "end" the warning based on data available from the closest tidal sensor, around 200 km (125 miles) from Palu.
"We have no observation data at Palu. So we had to use the data we had and make a call based on that," said Rahmat Triyono, head of the earthquakes and tsunami centre at BMKG.
He said the closest tide gauge, which measures changes in sea level, only recorded an "insignificant", six-centimetre (2.5 inches) wave and did not account for the giant waves near Palu.
At least 384 people died after Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami shook Indonesia. The tsunami, towering up to three meters high and triggered by Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake, hit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, and the northeast of the nearby Donggala Regency.
At least 384 killed in Indonesian quake, tsunami
"If we had a tide gauge or proper data in Palu, of course it would have been better. This is something we must evaluate for the future," said Triyono.
It was not clear whether the tsunami, which officials say hammered Palu and the surrounding area at extremely high speeds measuring in the hundreds of kilometres per hour, occurred before or after the warning had been lifted.
"Based on the videos circulating on social media, we estimate the tsunami happened before the warning officially ended," Triyono said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. The most devastating came on Boxing Day in 2004, when a magnitude 9.5 quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed around 226,000 people along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, including over 126,000 in Indonesia.
Indonesia declared a state of emergency Saturday for Sulawesi Island in the wake of a powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami.At least 384 people died after Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB).According to local news outlets, the state of emergency was declared to mobilize all state units for aid and recovery efforts.The tsunami, towering up to three meters high, hit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, and the northeast of the nearby Donggala Regency.Turkish aid agency sends team to quake-hit IndonesiaAfter its 500-meter airstrip was damaged, Palu’s airport was closed to flights, excepting certain cargo planes. Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered troops to the region to support search and rescue efforts.A hospital ship with medical equipment and nearly 100 specialist doctors is also being sent, said Indonesian officials.Local media said some 540 people were injured.Death toll jumps to 384 after tsunami, quake in IndonesiaThree more earthquakes with magnitudes 6.3, 6.9, and 7 hit the eastern island of Lombok in the last two months, killing a total of 563 people.Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean’s "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.Video: At least 384 killed in Indonesian quake, tsunami 
Indonesia: State of emergency in wake of quake, tsunami
The scenic town of Palu sits at the mouth of a narrow bay in northeastern Sulawesi and is home to around 380,000 people. It was hit by a tsunami in 1927 and 1968, according to Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB).
Baptiste Gombert, a geophysics researcher at University of Oxford, said it was "surprising" the quake had generated a tsunami.
Friday's quake was recorded as a "strike-slip" event where neighbouring tectonic plates move horizontally against each other, rather than vertically, which is what usually generates a tsunami.
"There is some speculation that there was a landslide under the sea which displaced a lot of water and caused the tsunami," he said, adding the narrow bay may have concentrated the force of the waves as they moved toward the shore.
Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) has sent an emergency aid team to Indonesia in the wake of a powerful earthquake and tsunami. In a statement, the IHH said that they have sent a five-person team to help people in need in the region. At least 384 people died after Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami, said Indonesia’s disaster management agency on Saturday, cited by Indonesian television. The tsunami, towering up to three meters high, hit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, and the northeast of the nearby Donggala Regency.Video: Massive waves crash on shore as tsunami hits Indonesian island of SulawesiAid to Syria The IHH has also sent 14 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northern Syria, according to the agency. The aid, including food, hygienic supplies, and blankets, will be delivered to needy people in Idlib and regions cleared of terrorists by Turkish-led military operations, said Yakup Alaca, IHH spokesman in the southern Kilis province. This Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northern Syria. On March 18, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin district center.Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in August in 2016 and ended in March 2017, eliminated terrorists in another region along Turkey's border with Syria.Turkey's IHH builds orphanage in Somalian capital
Turkish aid agency sends team to quake-hit Indonesia
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster agency, told reporters his team had been "preparing to send public warnings that were easy to understand" when the tsunami warning was "suddenly ended".
The communications ministry said repeated warnings were sent out to residents via text message, but Nugroho said the quake had brought down the area's power and communications lines and there were no sirens along the coast.
Indonesians took to social media to question the BMKG's move to lift the tsunami warning and a failure to release information in a timely manner.
"So upset.. the warning was lifted.. although a tsunami happened..." said one Twitter user @zanoguccy in a direct message to BMKG.
The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi jumped to 384 on Saturday, authorities said, with many of those killed swept away by giant waves as they played on the beach.Strong aftershocks continued to rock the coastal city on Saturday morning after waves up to six metres (18 feet) high swept through the scenic tourist town on Friday, triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on land."When the (tsunami) threat arose yesterday, people were still doing their activities on the beach and did not immediately run and they became victims," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency BNPB said in news briefing in Jakarta.Hundreds of people were preparing for a beach festival to celebrate Palu's anniversary. The festival was due to start Friday night.Galeri: Massive destruction after Indonesia's deadly earthquakeSome people climbed six metre (18 feet) trees to escape the tsunami and survived, Nugroho said.Photos confirmed by authorities showed bodies being lined up along the street on Saturday, some in bags and some with their faces covered with clothes.Amateur footage shown by local TV stations, which could not immediately be authenticated by Reuters, showed waters crashing into houses along Palu's shoreline, scattering shipping containers and flooding into a mosque in the city.Nugroho described the damage as "extensive" with thousands of houses, hospitals, shopping malls and hotels collapsed, a bridge washed away and the main highway to Palu cut due to a landslide.Video: At least 384 killed in Indonesian quake, tsunamiBodies of some victims were found trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, he said, adding 540 people were injured. Dozens of injured people were being treated in makeshift medical tents set up outdoors, TV images showed.Indonesia's meteorological and geophysics agency BMKG issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but lifted it 34 minutes later. The agency has been widely criticised for not informing a tsunami had hit Palu on Saturday, though officials said waves had come within the time the warning was issued.The quake and tsunami caused a major power outage that cut communications around Palu and on Saturday authorities were still having difficulties coordinating rescue efforts.The disaster mitigation agency has not been able to get any information from the fishing town of Donggala, closer to the epicentre of the quake 27 km (16 miles) away. More than 600,000 people live in Donggala and Palu.Video: Massive waves crash on shore as tsunami hits Indonesian island of SulawesiChief security minister Wiranto told TVOne the military had started sending in cargo planes from the capital Jakarta carrying relief aid.The city's airport remained closed after its runway and air traffic control tower was damaged in the quake but officials said they were preparing to reopen to allow aid to come in.Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said no command centre for disaster recovery has been created yet.The Palu area was hit by a less powerful quake earlier on Friday, which destroyed some houses, killed one person and injured at least 10 in Donggala, authorities said.The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude of the second quake at a strong 7.5, after first saying it was 7.7.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by 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.Tsunami hits small city on Indonesia's Sulawesi after quake-officials
Death toll jumps to 384 after tsunami, quake in Indonesia