A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, to Australia’s north, prompting warnings about potential tsunamis in multiple countries.
According to the United States Geological Survey, which tracks seismic activity, the quake hit at 9.48am AEDST, at a depth of 35 kilometres.
It was located on the eastern side of Indonesia, between several islands; the closest, Ternate Island, was about 130 kilometres away.
“This area of the Molucca Sea frequently hosts moderate to large earthquakes,” the USGS noted.
“In the past 50 years, nine other magnitude-7-plus earthquakes have occurred within 250 km of (this one).”
In a preliminary assessment, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there could be tsunami-level waves affecting Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
But the Bureau of Meteorology said Australia’s coastline was not under threat.
More to come.
