Indonesia's meteorology and geophysics office said the quake that struck at 1.56 pm (0556 GMT) was centred 104 kilometres northwest of Majene town in South Sulawesi at a depth of 44 kilometres under the seabed.

The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at 5.9.

The quake was felt in Majene as well as the South Sulawesi capital Makassar and on towns along the eastern coast of Borneo's Kalimantan, more than 200 kilometres west of the epicentre, meteorologist Novita said.

She said there were no immediate reports of damage.

Okezone.com news website reported that residents in Makassar poured out of buildings into the rain for about 10 minutes after feeling the tremor.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

The archipelagic nation was hardest hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004 which killed an estimated 168,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province. -- AFP