Tsunami warning for Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia after Maluku Sea quake

An earthquake ⁠of magnitude 7.4 struck ⁠the Northern Maluku Sea off ⁠Indonesia’s historic spice island of Ternate on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, triggering a tsunami warning for neighbouring Southeast Asian nations.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, though the agency reported aftershocks of magnitude ‌as high as 5, and Indonesia called tsunami warnings for areas in its provinces of North Maluku and North Sulawesi.

Regional governments in some cities, such as Ternate and Tidore, the former spice islands, were urged to prepare citizens for evacuation, while news channel Metro TV broadcast images of damaged buildings.

The quake, its magnitude ⁠revised down from an initial 7.8, struck at a depth of 35km (22 miles), ‌greater than the early figure of 10km, the USGS added.

Its epicentre was about 120km from Ternate, in North ‌Maluku, which has a population of more than 200,000, the agency said.

Ternate resident Budi Nurgianto, 42, said he was inside his house when the tremor struck, sending people panicking outside.