A major 7.4-magnitude earthquake has jolted northern Indonesia, killing at least one person. An initial tsunami warning has since been lifted.

A powerful magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the Northern ‌Molucca ⁠Sea ⁠off the coast of Ternate, Indonesia early Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The strong tremor toppled and damaged buildings in the cities of Bitung and Manado, in North Sulawesi, and in Ternate city, one province over in North Maluku.

A 70-year-old woman died when a building collapsed in Manado city, and another resident was injured, Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency said. At least three people were hospitalized in Ternate.

Search and rescue official George Leo Mercy Randang told the AFP news agency that the woman had been "buried under the rubble."

What Else Do We Know about the Indonesia Earthquake?

The quake triggered a tsunami warning for Indonesia and neighboring countries, the Philippines and Malaysia, with the US monitoring center warning of possible "hazardous tsunami waves" within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the epicenter.

Waves of up to 75 centimeters (30 inches) above normal levels were registered at several monitoring stations around the Molucca Sea coast. The tsunami warning has since been lifted.The quake struck some 127 kilometers west of Ternate at a shallow depth of about 35 kilometers.

Earthquakes that strike near the Earth's surface are usually more intense and damaging relative to tremors that occur at deeper levels.

The USGS reported dozens of strong aftershocks, including one as high as 6.2 magnitude. Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic zone with intense seismic and volcanic activity.