Strong 5.9 aftershock hits Lombok, Indonesia

The latest quake today was felt strongly on the island and followed a 6.9 quake on Sunday that killed at least 227 people and damaged thousands of houses. Photo / Supplied

Another strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 has hit Indonesia's Lombok island, causing buildings to collapse, according to witnesses and the Southeast Asian nation's meteorology and geophysics agency.

The latest quake today was felt strongly on the island and followed a 6.9 quake on Sunday that killed at least 227 people and damaged thousands of houses.

A Reuters witness said the latest quake sent people into the streets in panic and caused buildings to collapse.

Most of the people who died in Sunday's tremor were in Kayangan, on the north side of the island, according to the state-run Antara news agency.

The national disaster agency has stood by the official death toll of 131, despite other government agencies, including the military, reporting much higher figures.

The governor of the province that includes Lombok, the military and the national search and rescue agency each issued different death tolls that ranged from 226 to 381.

Another 1447 people have been injured and 165,003 displaced.

A Kiwi holidaying in Bali said they felt a short, sharp jolt but "it was over before we knew it".

She said the jolt gave everyone a bit of a fright and people went outside the building.

"We are a little bit on edge but it was nothing major," she said.

More to come.