According to reports, the quake centred close to the town of Pandang, with at least 11 people reported killed so far. It is expected that the death toll will rise as many buildings have collapsed.
At 10:49 Sumatra time (0349 GMT), the earthquake struck, with reports quickly emerging that several children and at least one school teacher in the towns of Solok and Batusangkar were among the dead when school buildings collapsed.
Reports coming back from rescue workers have confirmed that hundreds of buildings have collapsed, with telephone and power lines being knocked out also, the BBC has said.
Hospitals throughout the region were inundated with injured as people rushed to get treatment for loved ones.
The mayor of Solok, Samsurahim, told ElShinta radio: "We have asked for medical help... our facilities here are insufficient."Experts have stated that there is no chance of a tsunami, as the earthquake centred inland, rather than out at sea.
The earthquake follows a tragic few years for Indonesia, where last year more than 500 people died when a tsunami hit the Java coast. In 2004, more than 130,000 were killed in Sumatra when a tsunami hit Aceh.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region, and is therefore no foreigner to earthquakes. However, the power of today's earthquake has left many regions devastated and was even felt in the western coastal areas of Malaysia. Reports say that tall buildings in Singapore swayed as the earthquake hit.
