Jakarta: An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 and several aftershocks struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, the nation's geophysics agency BMKG said, while tsunami waves of less than 1 metre (3 feet) were recorded in several areas.

Many rushed from their homes, but there were no initial reports of damage from the quake, which was felt strongly for around one minute in regions such as Nagekeo and Bima, said Dodi Yuleova, the spokesperson for the national disaster mitigation agency.

A video on Facebook, verified by Reuters as located at a port in Maumere, the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island in eastern Indonesia, showed parts of a building collapsing in dust and rubble as people screamed and ran in the street.

A hospital in the district of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara Province was moving patients outside, Kompas TV footage showed.

BMKG recorded the first quake at 4.58 am (2158 GMT) at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), followed by several aftershocks.

Australia's tsunami warning centre said the undersea earthquake will have "no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories".