Panic as powerful 7.4-magnitude quake hits near Indonesia’s Molucca Islands

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck early on Thursday near Ternate, an island in Indonesia’s Molucca archipelago.

The quake was revealed to have struck at 5:48 am (2248 GMT Wednesday) between northern Sulawesi and the North Molucca Islands, around 127 kilometres west of Ternate, at a depth of about 35 kilometres.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) initially reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 7.6.

Authorities had also issued a tsunami warning for islands around the Molucca Sea, which was later lifted.

Indonesia currently sits on a tectonic zone with intense seismic and volcanic activity known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.