A child was killed and dozens more injured after a series of powerful earthquakes struck remote eastern Indonesia, flattening buildings today.

A tsunami alert was issued by the Indonesian Meteorology and Seismology Agency but taken down after an hour when it was ascertained that the epicentre of the quake, which struck just before dawn on Papua, was on land.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, was followed by another powerful quake measuring 7.5 It struck about 85 miles from Manokwari, the capital of Papua at a depth of around 22 miles and was followed by more, smaller earthquakes through the night, according to Indonesia's meteorology agency

A 10-year-old girl died when a wall fell on her said Hengky Tewu, the director of Manokwari General Hospital.

"Her head was crushed. We have our ambulances picking up two more," he said.

Another 19 patients were treated for broken bones, cuts, crushed fingers and other injuries. Three were pulled alive from the rubble after the Mutiara hotel in Manokwari collapsed while others were injured as they fled their homes in the dark, fearing a tsunami.

Reports of fatalaties varied. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters four people had died but gave no other details.

But Manokwari police chief Piet Wahyu said it was unlikely the toll would rise. "Judging by the damage to buildings here, I don't see there being any more deaths," he said.

"There were only two hotel buildings that were heavily damaged. One hotel collapsed while another hotel was only partly damaged," he said

Rescue teams were still looking for people trapped under buildings, while hundreds of people had gathered at a football stadium seeking medical aid for minor injuries, local radio Elshinta reported.

"I've instructed emergency steps be taken to help our brothers and to restore power and other vital utilities," said President Yudhoyono, adding that commercial flights to the region had been cancelled.

The quake triggered a small tsunami that hit the Japanese coast but there was no damage, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

Manokwari, with a population of about 161,000, is in a remote, sparsely-populated part of Papua, on the western half of New Guinea. It attracts tourists thanks to its diving sites, wildlife, including birds of paradise, and spectacular scenery.

Several different tribes live in Papua, which, despite its vast natural resources, tropical forests, and mineral wealth, remains one of the poorest and least developed parts of New Guinea.

Indonesia straddles a chain of fault lines and volcanoes known as the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' and is prone to seismic activity.

A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 230,000 people, more than half of them in Sumatra.

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