Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off Indonesia: Tsunami alert on

Tsunami waves 0.3 metres high hit Indonesia's North Maluku after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

The epicentre of the ⁠earthquake was about ⁠120km (75 miles) from Ternate, in Indonesia’s North Maluku ‌province.

The tremor struck at a depth of 10km (6.21 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.

According to the US Tsunami Warning System, the quake posed a potential tsunami threat to coastlines in parts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, hit at a local time of 6:48 am on Thursday (2248 GMT) in the Molucca Sea, USGS said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible "within 1,000 km of the epicenter" along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.