The quake occurred at 4.41 pm (0741 GMT), the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said. Its epicentre was 155 km south-east of Labuha city in North Maluku province or about 2,400 km north-east of Jakarta at a depth of 30 km.

The BMG said the quake did not trigger a tsunami. It was the latest of a series of earthquakes to jolt Indonesia in recent months. A powerful 7.6-magnitude quake struck off the western coast of Sumatra in September, killing thousands and injuring hundreds of others.