The quake had a magnitude of 7.2, according to an official from the country's geophysics agency.

Indonesia suffers from frequent earthquakes and lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active areas.

An earthquake off Indonesia triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed approximately 220,000 people.

The US Geographical Survey measured the earthquake at 7.3-magnitude and said it occurred at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles).

A government official in the town of Bengkulu, about 295km (180 miles) from the epicentre, said there did not appear to be any visible damage so far from Monday's earthquake.

"Everyone rushed out of buildings, but this has become sort of a habit for us all, so there was not panic," she told Agence France Presse.

Hassanudin, a police officer in Bengkulu, also said he had not heard of any casualties or damage so far.

But he added: "We still need to check with the police station on Muko-Muko (nearest to the epicentre)."

Three people died when an earthquake measuring 7.5-magnitude hit Indonesia's Aceh province last week.