Scores of houses were destroyed after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted East Kalimantan on Borneo Island early Monday, disaster agency official said.

The quake also triggered panic among residents living in coastal areas for fear of tsunami, although the epicenter of the quake was underearth, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency, told Xinhua.

As many as seven houses were seriously damaged by the quake in Tarakan sub-district, he said.

The USGS measured the quake at 6.0 magnitude.

The epicenter was 29 km northeast of Tarakan with a depth of 10 km, an official of the meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The intensity of the quake was felt at 4 to 5 MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in Balikpapan town, the official said.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on the vulnerable "Pacific Ring of Fire."