Residents stand near earthquake-damaged houses in Ambon, Maluku province, Indonesia, Sept 27, 2019. (TIARA SALAMPESSY / AP)

JAKARTA — The death toll from a strong inland earthquake in eastern Indonesia has climbed to 23 people, disaster officials said Friday.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said most of the victims of Thursday's magnitude 6.5 quake in Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, were killed by collapsing houses and buildings. In addition to the dead, it said more than 100 people were injured.

READ MORE: Earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia, kills at least 20

The agency said at least 117 houses and buildings were damaged and about 15,000 people were being housed in temporary shelters.

Earthquake survivors stand near their tents at a temporary shelter in Ambon, Maluku province, Indonesia, Sept 27, 2019. (TIARA SALAMPESSY / AP)

Television video showed hundreds of fearful people in Ambon sleeping outside in tents or in the open air overnight.

With a population of around 1.7 million, Maluku is one of Indonesia's least populous provinces.

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Home to more than 260 million people, Indonesia has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

Residents inspect an earthquake-damaged building in Ambon, Maluku province, Indonesia, Sept 27, 2019. (TIARA SALAMPESSY / AP)