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JAKARTA : A strong earthquake hit Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, the meteorology office said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The 6.1-magnitude quake struck at 3:48 pm (0848 GMT) and was centered 31 kilometres (19 miles) below the sea floor, 67 kilometres southeast of the city of Bengkulu, the meteorology office said in a short statement.
A resident of Bengkulu contacted by telephone from Jakarta said the quake was strongly felt there, but caused no panic among the population.
Quakes occur frequently in Bengkulu and the woman said the latest did not appear to have done any damage nor did it trigger a tsunami warning.
The sprawling Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates collide, causing frequent and volcanic activity and earthquakes.
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh alone. - AFP/ms
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