Relatives of injured people wait outside a hospital in the quake-devastated area after a magnitude-6.4 quake rocked Pidie Jaya, Aceh, Indonesia on December 07, 2016. [Photo/IC]

President Joko Widodo was expected to visit the area on Thursday, his deputy told media.

Wednesday's quake hit the east coast of the province, about 170 km (105 miles) from Banda Aceh. Nugroho said Aceh's Pidie Jaya regency, with a population of about 140,000, was worst hit.

Many victims had suffered broken bones and gashes and had to be treated in hospital corridors and hastily erected disaster tents, a Reuters witness said.

Television showed footage of flattened mosques, fallen electricity poles and crushed cars.

A Red Crescent volunteer said health workers were struggling.