The quake, which struck at 3:11pm local time, was centred about 126km south-east of Bitung in Northeast Sulawesi, an official said.

The tremor, which was 10km deep, had no tsunami potential, the agency added.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in the country's Aceh province. -- AFP