Heavy fog and a damaged airport runway were some of the frustrations facing aid workers on earthquake-shattered Nias Island on Tuesday.

Across the island off the west coast of Sumatra on Tuesday, there were people showing the shock of having survived the magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck the night before.

"Obviously people have lost everything, they have lost their homes, lost their belongings, they have lost their relatives," said Oxfam's Jeremie Delage, adding, "I think there is also quite a very large trauma."

The current death toll is estimated at 330, according to Budi Atmaji Adiputro, a spokesman for Indonesia's Coordinating Agency for National Disaster Relief.

The toll is comparable to the 340 lives lost on Nias as a result of the Dec. 26 magnitude 9.0 quake that struck slightly further north on the same tectonic fault line -- but also triggered killer tsunami waves that ravaged countries around the Indian Ocean basin.

About 600,000 people live on Nias, which is about 5,600 square kilometres, or roughly about the same size as Prince Edward Island.

Indonesia's vice-president has warned the fatalities from the current quake could eventually hit between 1,000 and 2,000, but other officials have downplayed that figure.

However, there was an unconfirmed report that about 100 died on nearby Simeulue Island.

About 30 per cent of buildings in Gunung Sitoli, Nias' biggest city, were destroyed. Significant damage was also reported in Teluk Dalam, the island's second-biggest city.

There is little heavy equipment on the island, so desperate rescuers were forced to search through the rubble by hand looking for survivors.

A soccer field in Gunung Sitoli was used as a triage centre, but only about 17 people were evacuated to hospitals on Sumatra. The local hospital was short of supplies.

UN helicopters bringing relief supplies were swarmed by people.

Because the island's lone runway was damaged, only small planes could land for most of the day. The Indonesian military finally arrived late Tuesday afternoon.

Some aid agencies were planning to ferry supplies like milk, water, food and medical supplies to Nias.

Most of Gunung Sitoli's stores were ruined by the quake, leaving people with nowhere to get food.

With a significant international relief presence already in Indonesia as a result of the Dec. 26 disaster, help was available to Nias relatively quickly.

In a news release, the Canadian government offered its condolences and reported that there were no Canadian casualties.

"We will continue to be in close contact with international relief agencies present on the ground as they assess the needs of those affected. Canada remains ready to respond," said Aileen Carroll, the minister for international co-operation.

With a report from CTV's Steve Chao and files from The Associated Press