A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck the Northern ‌Molucca Sea off the coast of Ternate, Indonesia, early Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

 

It triggered a tsunami warning for Indonesia as well as its neighboring countries the Philippines and Malaysia, with the US monitoring center warning about possible "hazardous tsunami waves" within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the epicenter.

 

But the warning has now been lifted.

What do we know so far?
 

The quake struck some 127 kilometres west of Ternate at a depth of about 35 kilometres.

 

The USGS reported aftershocks of magnitude as high as 5.0.

 

Indonesia's meteorology agency ‌BMKG reported tsunami waves in the North Maluku province at 30 centimeters high and Bitung in northeastern Sulawesi at 20 centimeters high .

 

Indonesian broadcaster Metro TV reported that one person had been killed by the falling rubble in the Manado area as footage showed buildings suffering damage. 

 

Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic zone with intense seismic and volcanic activity.