A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday, prompting residents to evacuate to higher ground ahead of a tsunami warning, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, according to AFP.

The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at 03:00 local time (20:00 GMT on Monday), was located off the coast of the Mentawai Islands at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, the USGS said.

There were no reports of casualties or significant damage.

“The earthquake was so strong that we could barely stand up and go outside,” said Patrice Sanene, a 34-year-old resident of Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai islands.

“We could hardly leave the house, we had to hold on to the walls,” he said.

“It was the strongest earthquake (…) this year. I thought there must be a tsunami. Thank God, there was no tsunami,” he added.

The Indonesian Geophysical Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning that lasted about two hours after initially warning of a larger earthquake.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location in the Pacific’s so-called “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide.

The deadliest earthquake in Indonesia, which occurred near the island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, killed more than 230,000 people.

The earthquake caused huge waves up to 30 meters high on the coast of Banda Aceh, in the north of Sumatra, and had a magnitude of 9.1. (Agerpress)