The quake struck at 9:05 pm (1735 IST) at a depth of 32 kilometres, in the Molucca Sea. The epicentre was 176 kilometres south of Manado, in Sulawesi, the US Geological Survey said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity, and the archipelago is frequently struck by powerful earthquakes.
Published 25 October 2010, 15:13 IST