A strong and shallow earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday, killing seven people and injuring 85, while causing panic on the island and in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck about 66km north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in West Sumatra province, according to the US Geological Survey. It occurred about 12km below the Earth’s surface.

At least four people, including two children, were killed in Pasaman district and three people died in the neighbouring district of West Pasaman, which is near the epicentre where dozens of houses and buildings reportedly collapsed, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesperson.

The earthquake sent more than 5,000 people fleeing their homes to temporary shelters mostly in the devastated areas of Pasaman and West Pasaman districts, Muhari said in a statement.

“We are still focusing on search and rescue efforts for the victims,” said Muhari.

Authorities were also still investigating the full extent of the damage in the affected areas. Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency, said there was no danger of a tsunami.

Television reports showed the strong tremblor sending panicked people into the streets in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, and patients in a hospital in West Pasaman being evacuated from the building.

Other footage showed streams filled with mud from landslides triggered by the earthquake, and a mosque, a school and several houses that were flattened. Nearly 500 buildings were damaged, including 100 that sustained serious damage.