A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has hit the Northern Molucca Sea off the coast of the city of Ternate, in Indonesia, killing at least one person and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said Thursday’s quake, which was initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, struck at a depth of 35km (22 miles), greater than the early figure of 10km (six miles). There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The epicentre of the earthquake was about 120km (75 miles) from Ternate, in Indonesia’s North Maluku province.
Local authorities in some cities, such as Ternate and Tidore, were urged to prepare citizens for evacuation, while news channel Metro TV broadcast images of damaged buildings.
One person was killed when a building collapsed in the city of Manado in North Sulawesi province, a local search and rescue official told AFP news agency.
“The quake was felt strongly and around Manado … one person died and one person had a leg injury,” George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP by telephone. The victim was “buried under the rubble” of a collapsed building, he said.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75 centimetres were recorded in North Minahasa and 20 centimetres in Bitung, both in the north of Sulawesi island, according to Indonesia’s BMKG geological agency.
Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province.
The PTWC lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, saying the tsunami threat “has now passed”.
Indonesia straddles the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity where tectonic plates meet and earthquakes are frequen
