Indonesia's geophysics agency said a tsunami is possible after a strong earthquake struck Friday east of Sulawesi island.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which was centered at a depth of 10.5 miles, had a magnitude of 6.8.

The epicenter of the quake is far from the central Sulawesi city of Palu, which was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in September, but it was felt there and caused people to run into the streets in panic.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire."

More than 4,400 people were killed in the Palu disaster.