Malaysian officials were on alert on today after an earthquake which sparked deadly tsunamis in neighbouring Indonesia.

At least five people were killed when a tsunami hit the coast of Indonesia's Java island, wrecking buildings and sending boats piling onto land after a 7.2-magnitude quake at 4.19pm.

But a statement from the meteorology department here gave assurances that no damage had been reported in Malaysia.

"The earthquake was very far away from Malaysia - more than 1,000 kilometres - and as such, the tremors had no effect on Malaysian infrastructure," it said.

The department recorded eight aftershocks between 5pm and 7pm ranging from 4.6 to 6.0, an official from the department's seismology centre said.

"We are watching for any new developments ... in Malaysia we don't have any reports of any damage yet," the official told AFP .

Stay away from beaches

The director of disaster and crisis management with the government's National Security Division, Che Moin Umar, said police in Penang and Langkawi islands and Kedah, all in the country's north, were on alert.

People were also being warned to stay away from coastal areas in those locations for several hours as a precaution, he said.

"We have directed our police at various districts to inform those around the beachside, especially for Penang and Kuala Muda (in Kedah) and Langkawi, to be away from the beaches," he said.

Che Moin also said Malaysia may send search and rescue teams to Indonesia, depending on the extent of the damage.

Sixty-eight people were killed in Malaysia by the December 26, 2004 tsunami most of them on the island of Penang.