A powerful, 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Thursday, shaking and toppling buildings, killing one person, and triggering tsunami warnings.

The United States Geological Survey recorded the tremor, which hit 126 kilometers (78 miles) off the coast of Ternate island at 6:48 am local time.

Following the quake, tsunami warnings were issued as far as Hawaii. Small waves were reported in parts of Indonesia, but two hours following the shaking, the tsunami threat was lifted. Footage following the shaking showed damaged buildings; see below.

“I immediately woke up and left my house,” a journalist with the Agence France-Presse, stationed in the North Sulawesi province said. “People [were] immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside.”

He also reported that the trembling lasted “quite long.”

“We had just woken up and suddenly the earthquake hit… we all ran out of the house,” resident Marten Mandagi said, per CBS. “The shaking was very strong,”

Reports from the Indonesia Search and Rescue Agency showed that a 70-year-old woman died during a building collapse in North Sulawesi’s Manado city. There were also reports of at least three more injuries, with hospitalizations on Ternate island.

Related: 7.5 Quake Rattles Tonga: Tsunami Sirens Wail Across the Pacific

Following the quake, initial tsunami warnings were issued. And some, small waves were observed. According to reports: “Waves as high as 2.1 feet (0.65 meters) were observed in Indonesia, with waves less than a foot reported in other nearby areas.”

Indonesia is a hotspot for earthquakes, straddling the Pacific Ocean’s vast and volatile “Ring of Fire.” Most notably, back in 2004, a powerful 9.3-earthquake struck off the coast of Aceh, in northern Sumatra, and triggered a significant tsunami.

The death toll, from that incident, landed at 227,898.

As for the most recent tremor in the region, the tsunami warnings have been lifted, and after nearly 50 aftershocks, the fault lines have appeared to settle.

Related: The Biggest Tsunami Ever Recorded: Inside the 1,720-Foot Wave (Video)

This story was originally published by Surfer on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here.