Updated August 19, 2018 23:58:09

Photo: Homes were damaged in Belanting Village and the Red Cross evacuated residents. (Supplied: Indonesian Red Cross)

A fresh tremor of 6.3 magnitude struck the Indonesian holiday island of Lombok on Sunday, the US Geological Survey has confirmed, after an earthquake killed more than 430 people there earlier this month.

USGS estimated the depth of the latest tremor at 7.9 kilometres and said the epicentre was on the north-eastern shoulder of the island at the foot of Mount Rinjani.

Footage uploaded on social media showed clouds of dust raising from landslides covering a large area of the mountainside.

An Associated Press reporter on the island said the tremor caused landslides in hilly areas and panic in villages.

There was no tsunami warning, and authorities were still awaiting word on casualties.

Lombok, which lies just east of Bali, the southeast Asian country's most famous tourist destination, has been rocked by a series of quakes and aftershocks since July 29, including a 6.9-magnitude tremor on August 5.

The latest tremor sent shudders through residents.

"It was very strong. All the lights went out," Asmaatul Husna said at a shopping mall where she works in Lombok's main town, Mataram.

Disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said there were no reports so far of casualties or damage.

The majority of large earthquakes occur on or near Earth's tectonic plate boundaries — and the ones in the past week are no exception. However, there are some unique conditions around Lombok.

"We are still monitoring," he told TVOne television.

He said that activity on the island was normal and Mount Rinjani, where hundreds of trekkers were stranded after the July 29 quake, was closed and there were no tourists there.

Lombok suffered damage running to more than 5 trillion rupiah ($342 million) from the August 5 earthquake, authorities said last week, putting the death toll at more than 430.

More than 350,000 people fled their homes after that quake to shelter in government-provided tents or makeshift structures in open fields.

Authorities said aid was slow getting to some of the hardest-hit areas as they are remote.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago that straddles the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

ABC/Wires

Topics: earthquake, landslide, indonesia

First posted August 19, 2018 17:16:37