A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, although there were no immediate reports of damage.

A tsunami advisory group said the quake "may be capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region".

The USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 51.4 kilometres (32 miles) off the eastern tip of Timor Island, which is split between East Timor and Indonesia.