A search and rescue operation is underway for about 500 people reported missing in western Indonesia after a magnitude-7.7 undersea earthquake triggered a deadly tsunami.

More than 112 people are confirmed dead in the Mentawai Islands west of Sumatra, after waves of up to three metres high hit several villages.

Meanwhile, nine Australians who disappeared after the powerful quake have been found safe and well on their surfing safari boat.

The boat’s crew headed to deeper waters when they felt the earthquake and were unaffected by the resulting tsunami.

Bad weather and heavy seas have hampered government efforts to reach the Mentawai islands, which stretch along Sumatra’s west coast and is an eight-hour boat ride from the mainland.

Phones in the area are damaged and radio contact is difficult, but there is a desperate need for tarpaulins and some food stocks.

Disaster Management Agency aid coordinator Wisnu Wijaya says rescue teams from the capital Jakarta will join forces with local teams to evacuate bodies and deliver food aid, medicines, tents and blankets.

Tags: earth quake, Indonesia, tsunami

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