The strong quake hit 258 kilometres northeast of the city ofManado in North Sulawesi at a depth of 68 kilometres.
Indonesia straddles the "Pacific ring of fire"with nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country.
In January, more than 100 people were killed and thousandsleft homeless by a 6.2-magnitude quake that struck Sulawesi.
A powerful quake shook the island of Lombok in 2018 andseveral more tremors followed over the next couple of weeks, killing more than550 people on the holiday island and neighbouring Sumbawa.
Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequenttsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing./.