SriLanka, Aug. 15 -- A 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday killed at least 38 people, a disaster management official said, revising an earlier toll.

Two people were known to be trapped alive under rubble in the neighbouring Manggarai regency after the 7.7-magnitude jolt.

Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble" said Fathur, adding the rescue effort had been complicated by landslides cutting off several roads.

Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday -- a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists witnessed.

A tsunami warning was later lifted but people were warned not to return to...