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Many children killed when their schools collapsed are among the 252 dead from an earthquake that devastated a town on Indonesia's main island of Java, officials say, as rescuers race to reach people trapped in rubble.

Hundreds of people were injured in the Monday quake and officials warned the death toll was likely to rise.

The shallow 5.6-magnitude quake struck in mountains in Indonesia's most populous province of West Java, causing significant damage to the town of Cianjur and burying at least one village under a landslide.

Landslides and rough terrain were hampering rescue efforts, said Henri Alfiandi, head of National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

"The challenge is the affected area is spread out ... On top of that, the roads in these villages are damaged," Alfiandi told a news conference, adding that more than 13,000 people had been evacuated.

"Most of the casualties are children because at 1pm they were still at school," he said, referring to the time the quake hit.

Many of the fatalities resulted from people being trapped under collapsed buildings, officials said.

President Joko Widodo flew in to Cianjur on Tuesday to encourage rescuers.

"My instruction is to prioritise evacuating victims that are still trapped under rubble," said the president.

He offered his condolences to the victims and pledged emergency government support. Reconstruction should include earthquake-proof housing, he said.

Survivors gathered overnight in a Cianjur hospital car park. Some of the injured were treated in tents, others were hooked up to intravenous drips on the pavement as medical workers stitched up patients under torch light.

"Everything collapsed beneath me and I was crushed beneath this child," Cucu, a 48-year-old resident, told Reuters.

"Two of my kids survived, I dug them up ... Two others I brought here, and one is still missing," she said through tears.

"Many dead bodies are lying in the hospital grounds. It's very crowded," said her relative, Hesti.

Footage from Kompas TV showed people holding cardboard signs asking for food and shelter, with emergency supplies seemingly yet to reach them.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed to help the rescue effort.

"Today's main task order for personnel is to focus on evacuating victims," Dedi Prasetyo, national police spokesperson told the Antara state news agency.

The death toll from the earthquake had risen to 252, the district government said in a post on social media. The death toll from the national disaster agency (BNPB) stood at 103, with 31 missing.

Cianjur police chief told Metro TV that 20 people had been evacuated from the district of Cugenang, most of whom had died, with residents reporting missing family members.

The area was hit by a landslide triggered by the quake that had blocked access to the area.

Rescue efforts were complicated by electricity outages in some areas, and more than 100 aftershocks.

Straddling the so-called Ring of Fire, a highly seismically active zone where different plates on the earth's crust meet, Indonesia has a history of devastating earthquakes.

© RAW 2022

Cheaper child care is set to become available in July, with the government's signature election pledge clearing its penultimate hurdle.

Education Minister Jason Clare says the increased affordability of child care will benefit both families and the economy by allowing parents, especially mothers, to get back into the workforce.

It is estimated childcare costs will be cut for one million families.

"So it is the trifecta - good for children, good for parents, good for our economy," he told parliament on Tuesday.

"This will help us build the universal early-education system that will give every Australian child the opportunity they deserve."

Families earning up to $80,000 will receive a 90 per cent childcare subsidy, which will be tapered down until it hits the maximum income threshold of $350,000.

The subsidy will decrease by one per cent for every $5000 of income, before ending for families earning $350,000.

A further subsidy will also be in place for second children and those under the age of five.

Indigenous children will receive 36 hours of subsidised child care each fortnight.

Childcare centres will also have more reporting requirements in a bid to reduce fraud.

The amended legislation passed the Senate on Tuesday and will head to the government-controlled lower house to be rubber-stamped.

However, Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam says the legislation doesn't address workforce shortages, with childcare places already at a premium, especially in regional Australia.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi also warned of a dearth of childcare workers, citing an estimate predicting an extra 9000 carers will be needed on top of about 10,000 vacancies expected by July.

The Greens also failed in a push to scrap the activity test, where the number of subsidised hours depends on how many recognised activities a parent does.

Activities include paid and unpaid work, study and training.

The test does not apply to the 36 hours offered to Indigenous families.

The laws will be independently reviewed a year from their start date.

© AAP 2022

Solomon Islands authorities have not issued a tsunami warning after two powerful earthquakes that damaged Australia's embassy and the airport and triggered power cuts in the capital Honiara.

The first quake on Tuesday afternoon hit offshore at a depth of 15 kilometres about 16 km southwest of the area of Malango, said the United States Geological Survey, which initially put its magnitude at 7.3 before revising it down to magnitude 7.0.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.0, struck nearby 30 minutes later.

"There are no known injuries but the roof of the High Commission annex has collapsed, which would point to likely damage throughout the city," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament.

Honiara International Airport suffered damage to its ceiling but the building was intact, a Solomon Islands Airline worker at the airport told Reuters by phone.

Aftershocks continued to be felt, he said, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak publicly. Airport staff would continue working but the damaged section of the airport terminal was closed to passengers.

The Solomon Times newspaper reported power had been cut for most of Honiara, as preliminary assessments of damage to power lines are made.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service said there was no tsunami threat but warned about unusual sea currents.

"People are also advised to be vigilant as aftershocks are expected to continue," an employee said on social media.

Widespread power outages are being reported across the island and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation said on Facebook that all radio services were off air.

The National Disaster Management Office said it has received reports that people felt the quake but were waiting for reports of damage.

"People in Honiara moved up to higher ground in the minutes after the earthquake but some have now moved down," an official told Reuters by phone.

© RAW 2022