The tremor hit east south-east of Palu, central Sulawesi Province, at 10:27 a.m. local time.
The earthquake was felt quite strongly in Palu and Sigi, but did not pose a tsunami threat, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency.
Palu resident Nurhaidar, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name, was cooking in her kitchen when she felt the quake.
"Suddenly, it was like there was a jolt, and then the whole house seemed to shake. The entire roof was making noise, like it was about to collapse," the 42-year-old told AFP news agency.
"I hurried to evacuate with all the kids, and even though we were disoriented and confused for a moment, we managed to get out."
