Indonesia's meteorology agency said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 14.3 miles and had an epicenter 88 miles from the city of Bengkulu, the BBC reported.

The British broadcaster noted quakes are nothing new for the region, which frequently experiences major seismic activity because of its proximity to the Pacific Ring of Fire. The arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Ocean have been blamed for seismic tremors and earthquakes in the region, including a 2004 quake and ensuing tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey offered a contradictory magnitude reading for Saturday's earthquake. The U.S. agency said the quake that occurred 380 miles away from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta only measured a 5.7 on the Richter scale.