Ternate, Indonesia, 02 April (H.S.): A formidable 7.4-magnitude earthquake erupted in the Northern Molucca Sea off eastern Indonesia early Thursday, unleashing prolonged tremors and triggering urgent tsunami warnings across a vast swath of Southeast Asia.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the offshore quake striking at 6:48 a.m. local time (22:48 GMT Wednesday), initially pegged at 7.8 magnitude before revision to 7.4, with its epicenter approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Ternate in North Maluku province at a shallow depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles).

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center promptly alerted coastal regions within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the epicenter, encompassing Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Guam, Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Taiwan, forecasting waves potentially reaching 0.3 to 1 meter (0.98 to 3.28 feet) above tide levels in some Indonesian areas, with lesser surges elsewhere.

In Manado, North Sulawesi, an eyewitness described chaos as the quake jolted residents awake: I immediately woke up and left my house. People were scrambling outside; school pupils rushed from their buildings. The shaking endured quite long, yet no major structural damage was noted immediately, though local authorities in Ternate and Tidore ordered evacuations and Metro TV aired footage of affected buildings.

Indonesia's position astride the Pacific Ring of Fire amplifies such seismic volatility, where tectonic plates collide relentlessly; this event echoes recent quakes in Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan, heightening vigilance for aftershocks and potential casualties as emergency teams mobilize.

No confirmed injuries have surfaced, but sirens wailed and communities fled to higher ground amid ongoing monitoring.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar