JAKARTA: A strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit deep under the ocean off Indonesia and East Timor early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The epicentre of the quake was 427 kilometres (265 miles) south of the Indonesian island of Ambon at a depth of 95 kilometres, USGS said.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported some aftershocks at a magnitude of 5.5.

"I was in bed then I felt little shake. I woke up and found out that many of my friends felt it too," Hamdi, an Indonesian in Ambon said to AFP.

The Indonesian geophysics agency warned about a potential tsunami initially, and then lifted the warning.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

On November 21, a 5.6-magnitude quake hit the populous West Java province on the main island of Java, killing 602 people.

A major earthquake off Sumatra on December 26, 2004, set off an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people as far away as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

That powerful 9.1-magnitude quake triggered 100-foot waves that hit the shore of Banda Aceh on Sumatra.