A disaster agency official in Alor, a remote string of islands closest to the epicentre, said the quake was felt strongly in the district for almost two minutes.
Indonesia`s national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the quake did not trigger a tsunami but sent people fleeing in Alor.
"Some people panicked and scattered," he said, but added he had heard no reports of casualties or property damage so far.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific `Ring of Fire` where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
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