The tsunami warning has been lifted, about two hours after the earthquake struck.

"Based on all available data... the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed," the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

This clip shows the aftermath inside a building in Bitung.

The coastal city lies along the north-eastern edge of Sulawesi island, to the west of the earthquake's epicentre.

Astudestra Ajengrastri
BBC News APAC Region

Yayuk Oktiani was grocery shopping at a market in Bitung, a city on the north-eastern edge of Sulawesi, when "everything started shaking".

Several stores experienced power outages and as the tremors got stronger, people fled.

"Outside, people were holding hands, scared and panicking, some even hugging each other," she told the BBC.

Yayuk headed straight for her child's school, which is located "very close" to the sea. "The situation there was chaotic... The teachers immediately told parents to bring their children home, even though they had only just arrived".

Yayuk, who has lived in Bitung for two years, says she often experiences earthquakes, "but they're never as strong as this one".

She and her family are now back at home, closely monitoring updates from the authorities.

The cities of Manado and Ternate were among the closest to the epicentre of this morning's earthquake. Here's a look at where they sit, relative to the rest of Indonesia.

The quake struck in the Molucca Sea, roughly midway between Ternate (120km to the east) and Manado (160km to the west).

Manado is located on the island of Sulawesi, while Ternate is one of the smaller Maluku Islands.

Japan's meteorological agency has also issued an alert forecasting "slight sea level changes" along the country's coast, but said it expects no tsunami damage.

The prefectures of Shizuoka, western Kagoshima, Fukushima, Miyagi and eastern Hokkaido are among those the agency said could experience sea level changes.

For perspective, the Indonesian island of Ternate is about 2,900km (1,800 miles) from Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan.

We earlier mentioned that search and rescue officials shared video of a badly damaged building in Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi.

Sulawesi is an Indonesian island east of Borneo, and Manado is about 160km west of the earthquake's epicentre.

Here is the clip.

There have been two aftershocks, with magnitudes of 5.5 and 5.2, since the first major earthquake, and the national geological agency expects more to come.

"As of this report, there are reports of damage to buildings and injuries," it said in its latest statement, without getting into details.

The agency is advising the public to stay away from coastal areas and cliffs that are prone to landslides, and to follow evacuation signs.

A 70-year-old woman has died after being crushed by building debris, according to a local search and rescue team. The woman was a resident of Minahasa regency in North Sulawesi.

Rescuers also shared a video of a badly damaged building in Manado, a city on the northern tip of Sulawesi island. People are seen standing on piles of rubble around the building managed by the national sports committee, with some shouting "oh my God".

Large pieces of furniture have been flung onto the ground, with some metallic structures bent out of shape.

Image source, Getty Images

The Molucca Sea, where the earthquake struck, experiences a very high level of seismic activity.

The quake's epicentre was about 120km from the city of Ternate, a small but densely populated island with a population of over 205,000.

The island is home to numerous ancient forts, dramatic volcanic landscapes and vast expanse of beaches.

A major 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia this morning, prompting tsunami alerts.

The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, hit at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT) in the Molucca Sea, near the centre of the archipelago, according to the US Geological Survey.

The Hawaii-based tsunami warning system said waves within 1,000km of the epicentre "were possible" along the coasts of Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.

We're getting updates on the damage caused by the quake and will bring you the latest as we get them. Stay with us.