DILI : A strong earthquake struck east of Timor Leste's capital of Dili on Friday, seismologists said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of six and struck 289 kilometres (179 miles) east of Dili at a depth of 122 kilometres around 10:42 pm (1342 GMT).

Arif Akhir of the Indonesian meteorology office said it was a 6.4-magnitude earthquake and was 113 kilometres deep.

There were no immediate reports of damage and residents said the quake was hardly felt in Dili. - AFP/ms