Most of the killed were residents of the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh, some 2,000 km west of Jakarta, officials said.

"We received the latest data at 06:00 (Monday)," said Nadyal Rusdal who heads the government-formed humanitarian team for victims of natural disaster.

He said death toll in Banda Aceh alone stood at around 3,000. They expected the death toll could reach 5,000.

Aceh, located at the northern tip of the Sumatara island, was the hardest hit by a tsunami, which was triggered by an 8.7-magnitude quake, according to Chinese State Seismological Bureau, off the Aceh coast.

"Residents in affected areas are being evacuated for fear of aftershocks," he said.

Thousands of soldiers have been mobilized to rescue survivors along the coastal areas Monday, officials said.

Meanwhile, the meteorology and geophysics agency (BMG) said it had recorded at least 60 minor aftershocks until 09:00 (02:00 GMT)Monday.

Jakarta's Metro TV station said tidal waves kicked up by the quake penetrated several kilometers inland to the city, filling streets with up to four meters of water after the earthquake.

The city urgently needed food, transportation and shelter as well as huge numbers of body bags for corpses.