More than 3,000 people are now known to have died in an earthquake that shook the area around Indonesia's ancient royal city of Yogyakarta early this morning. "The total for now is 3,002 people killed. The number keeps climbing by the hour because evacuation is still in process," a Government official said.
She added that 1,700 people had suffered serious injuries while 872 were slightly hurt.
The European Commission said planned to release up to €3 million in emergency aid for the region.
"Within a few hours, we expect the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to issue a preliminary appeal and we aim to have immediate funding available for essential relief activities," EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel said in a statement.
Yogyakarta is on Indonesia's main island of Java and near Mount Merapi, a volcano that has been on top alert for a major eruption this month.
A vulcanologist in Yogyakarta said the quake was not caused by the volcano, but Merapi's activity increased after the shock.
The epicentre of the quake - which struck just before 6am (Midnight Irish time) with a magnitude of 6.2, according to the US Geological Survey - was offshore.
Yogyakarta is about 25 km north of the Indian Ocean coast and 440 km east of Jakarta.
Hospital officials said the dead had generally suffered head injuries and broken bones from collapsing buildings. Witnesses said thousands of houses had collapsed in the quake. Office and government buildings were also in ruins.
Hospital patients have been moved outside due to fears of aftershocks. One Yogyakarta hospital alone said it was treating 1,500 people injured by the quake.
Thousands of residents were taking refuge in Yogyakarta's main square while others sheltered in the compounds of scores of mosques, churches and hospitals throughout the region.
Yogyakarta's royal palaces and the nearby Borobudur temple complex are prime attractions for domestic and foreign tourists, and many foreigners study the Indonesian language at schools in the city which offer intensive courses.
Indonesia sits on the Asia-Pacific's so-called "Ring of Fire" marked by heavy volcanic and tectonic activity.