The US Geological Survey reported a 6.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of East Timor on Friday, however, there were no immediate indications of significant damage.

The quake "may be capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region," according to a tsunami advisory group.

The quake hit at a depth of 51.4 kilometers (32 miles) off the eastern edge of Timor Island, which is divided between East Timor and Indonesia, according to the USGS.

The tsunami warning for the region was issued by the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS).

An AFP correspondent in Dili, East Timor's capital, felt the earthquake but described it as "very quick," adding that "people went about their activities as usual."

East Timor and Indonesia are located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of strong seismic activity that spans Southeast Asia and the Pacific basin.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's North Sumatra in February, killing a dozen people.

In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the shore of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people throughout the area, including 170,000 in Indonesia.

East Timor has 1.3 million people and is Southeast Asia's youngest country, having just celebrated its 20th anniversary of independence from Indonesia.

The Covid-19 epidemic has wreaked havoc on the primarily rural country's economy, with the World Bank estimating that 42% of the population lives below the poverty line.