Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Indonesia's Molucca Sea, kills one

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Northern Molucca Sea off Indonesia on Thursday morning, killing one woman and triggering tsunami waves across the region, authorities said.

The quake originated approximately 127 kilometers west-northwest of Ternate in North Maluku province at a depth of 35 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was initially recorded at magnitude 7.8 before being revised downward.

Tsunami waves were observed at multiple monitoring stations within half an hour of the quake. The highest recorded wave reached 75 centimeters in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi, while other locations reported smaller waves, including 8 inches in Bitung and 1 foot in West Halmahera, according to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially warned that tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter, along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. The system forecast waves of 0.3 to 1 meter above tide level for some Indonesian coastlines and waves of less than 30 centimeters for Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami threat was later confirmed to have passed.

BMKG modeling indicated tsunami potential for waves of 0.5 to 3 meters high. The agency reported that 11 aftershocks were monitored following the main quake, with the largest measuring magnitude 5.5.

Some buildings sustained damage from the earthquake. A building belonging to North Sumatra's National Sports Committee was damaged in Manado, North Sulawesi, according to witnesses and authorities.

Japan's meteorological agency said "slight sea level changes" might occur along Japan's coast but that no tsunami damage was expected there. Indonesia's BMKG chief Teuku Faisal Fathani advised the public to remain alert following the event.