A man stands near his house damaged by an earthquake in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday. AP

Three people were killed and another seven were injured when a moderately earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island Bali early Saturday.

The disaster agency said the quake hit just before dawn, causing people to run outdoors in a panic. It struck just as the island is beginning to reopen to tourism as the pandemic wanes.

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The 4.8 magnitude quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles) northeast of the town of Banjar Wanasari. Shallow quakes tend to do more damage than deep tremors. Its shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) may have amplified the amount of damage.

This handout photo shows collapsed houses after a 4.8 earthquake occurred in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday. AFP

"The quake was felt strongly for five seconds," said disaster agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.

"People were panicking and ran from their houses when the quake hit."

A magnitude 4.3 aftershock followed. That quake was relatively deep, at 282 kilometers (174 miles).

Gede Darmada, head of the island’s Search and Rescue Agency, said the agency was still collecting updates on damage and casualties.

He said the injuries included broken bones and head wounds.