JAKARTA: A strong quake with a magnitude of 6.7 and a relatively shallow depth hit the Indonesian island of Sumbawa on Monday, officials said, with initial reports saying some buildings were damaged.

The quake struck in the early hours with its epicentre about 16 kilometres from the town of Raba and a depth of 18 kilometres, the United States Geological Survey said.

The head of the Indonesian health ministry's crisis centre, Rustam Pakaya, said residents had felt "strong shaking".

"We've received no reports of deaths but there are reports that walls of houses have collapsed and we are checking," he told AFP.

There was no major tsunami threat from the quake, which occurred along the island's coast, said the United States' Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

Indonesia sits on a Pacific "Ring of Fire," where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. - AFP/de