A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the Molucca Sea off Indonesia’s Ternate island early Thursday, killing at least one person.
The quake, which struck at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT) at a depth of 35km, sparked tsunami warnings which have since been withdrawn.
A 70-year-old woman in North Sulawesi died after being crushed by building debris, and another person broke their leg after jumping off a building, Indonesia’s national news agency Antara reported.
While the region experiences high levels of seismic activity, some residents told the BBC this was one of the strongest earthquakes they have felt in at least the past six years.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that tsunami waves less than 0.3m (1 ft) “were possible” along the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami alert was lifted after two hours.
Even the roads outside the house were shaking, she said, adding that the earthquake “feels like the strongest” she’s experienced over the past six years.
