The quake struck at 5:48 am (21:48 GMT Tuesday) and was centered deep beneath the sea bed in the Strait of Makassar, some 37 kilometers (22.9 miles) west of the Sulawesi town of Donggala, a meteorology office statement said.

The tremor was moderately felt in Central Sulawesi's provincial capital Palu some 30 kilometers southeast of Donggala, but there were no reports of damage or casualties, the release said.

A telephone operator in Palu said that people were heard shouting and were seen running out of their homes in southern Palu when the earthquake struck.

Most people were awake at the time as they had just had their last meal before fasting for the day during the Muslim fasting month, she said.

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common in Indonesia, which lies on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire".

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