This is the dramatic moment a quick-thinking mother rushes to save her daughter as a magnitude 5 earthquake strikes Indonesia.

CCTV footage from a cosmetics store in Parigi Moutong Regency shows the panicked attendant running through the aisles to rescue her child from a back room.

Items fell from the shelves as the tremor shook the building in Central Sulawesi Province at 7:53 am local time.

The mum said: 'I was confused about which way to get out. All the doors were still closed, and the exits were narrow. Luckily, the earthquake lasted only a short time.'

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the epicentre was located around 44 kilometres northeast of Palu City, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Authorities confirmed the earthquake did not trigger a tsunami, and assessments of any damage are ongoing.