A powerful earthquake hit Southern Indonesia on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and damaging more than 1,300 homes, government agencies said.

The 7.0 magnitude quake, as recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, rattled buildings in the capital Jakarta and flattened homes in villages closer to the epicenter in West Java.

The death toll was expected to rise.

Communications with the coastal areas were completely cut, so we don't know the conditions there, said Priyadi Kardono, an official at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

No reports have come from those areas, although we assume those were the most affected ones. It's possible the death toll could grow higher, he said.

The health ministry said it was sending medical teams to the affected areas in West Java.

State news agency Antara reported that villagers were clearing away the rubble from collapsed buildings to try to find survivors and bodies.

Many houses are flattened to the ground, said Edi Sapuan in Margamukti village.

Only the wooden houses remain standing. Many villagers are injured, covered in blood, Edi said. We ran as soon as the quake hit. Then five minutes later my house collapsed.

Local tsunami warnings were issued for coastal areas within several hundred kilometers of the epicenter soon after it struck, but were withdrawn about half an hour later.

Earthquake