Earthquake shook Indonesia

A strong earthquake just rocked off Indonesia, causing panic-stricken residents to flee the house.

>>>Indonesian people panicked because of strong earthquakes

AFP reports from the US Geological Survey that the magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the area off the west coast of Sumatra island at 7:30 this morning, at a depth of 45km.

Earthquakes occur off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. (Graphic: myforecast)

Residents of Simeulue, a small island about 150km from Sumatra's west coast, said vibrations lasted for about a minute and caused power outages.

"People cried, ran out of things and fled the house," a reporter from AFP told Simeulue. "Some areas are out of power and I see cracks in the walls around me." Currently some people have returned home but there are still many people gathered outside the street due to concerns that aftershocks may occur.

Local media and meteorological agency Indonesia said there were no significant reports of damage and casualties. The agency said the earthquake occurred off Simeulue but did not issue a tsunami warning. Banda Aceh city, about 360km from Simeulue, also felt a slight shake. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology also confirmed that a strong earthquake in Indonesia did not lead to a tsunami warning in Australia.

Indonesia is located on the Pacific "ring of fire", so it often faces geological activities such as earthquakes and volcanoes.

In 2004, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck in the western island of Sumatra, causing a massive tsunami across the Indian Ocean, causing more than 200,000 deaths.