Watch | 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Indonesia, Triggers Tsunami Waves

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck the Northern Molucca Sea off Ternate Island on Thursday, damaging buildings and triggering tsunami waves across parts of Indonesia.

The United States Geological Survey said the tremor occurred at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku Islands in the early morning.

Indonesia’s meteorology agency Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika reported tsunami waves measuring 0.3 metres in West Halmahera and 0.2 metres in Bitung.

Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75 centimetres were recorded in North Minahasa and 20 centimetres in Bitung, both in northern Sulawesi.

Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province.

One person was killed when a building collapsed in Manado, a local search and rescue official told AFP.

A Manado resident told Reuters that people ran out of their houses in panic. There was no visible damage in her neighbourhood, but items fell off shelves and power had been cut.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

How does Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire influence earthquake and evacuation risks?

Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active zone where tectonic plates meet, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Regional governments in cities such as Ternate and Tidore were urged to prepare citizens for evacuation. The epicenter was about 580 km south of the Philippine coast and 1,000 km from Malaysia’s Sabah.

The PTWC later lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, stating the tsunami threat "has now passed."

Malaysia’s meteorological department said in a Facebook post there was no tsunami threat to Malaysia at the moment and that it was monitoring developments.

BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said there were 11 aftershocks, the strongest measuring magnitude 5.5.

The PTWC had earlier warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre were possible for parts of Indonesia, with smaller waves possible for the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and Palau.