A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits eastern Indonesia and a tsunami warning is issued

A 7.4-magnitude marine earthquake struck eastern Indonesia today, according to the US Geological Survey, while an American monitoring center issued a warning of the possibility of “dangerous tsunami waves” occurring within a thousand kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.

The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake, which was initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, occurred in the Molucca Sea at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, issued a warning of dangerous tsunami waves “within a thousand kilometers of the epicenter” along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.