JAKARTA, Reuters – A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck east Indonesia Tuesday, triggering a tsunami alert, according to the meteorological agency. However, there were no immediate details on casualties or damages.

At a depth 12km, the quake occurred in Flores Sea at 0320 GMT, approximately 112 km (70 mi) north of Larantuka.

Agustinus Florianus from Maumere, Flores said that everyone ran into the streets. In 1992, a magnitude-separate earthquake caused severe damage to Maumere.

Warnings about tsunamis were sent for Maluku and the surrounding areas, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara as well as Southeast and South Sulawesi.

Later, the U.S. Geological Survey stated that the earthquake had magnitude 7.3. The Indonesian agency stated that a magnitude 5.6 aftershock struck Larantuka.

According to Zacharias Gentana Keranz of Larantuka, “It felt as a wave up and down.”

Alfons Hada Betan is the head of East Flores Disaster Mitigation Agency in Larantuka. He said that there are no immediate reports of any damage. The quake was felt by many people for several minutes and they fled their homes.

Social media users reported that the earthquake also struck Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Based in the United States, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that tsunamis were possible for coastlines within 1,000km (621.37 mi) of earthquake’s epicentre.

Muhamad Unfortunately, a meteorology official told Metro TV that people shouldn’t go to beaches and added that they would lift the tsunami warning at the latest two hours.

Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates.

When the volcano Mount Semeru erupted in Java on December 4, at least 48 were killed, and many more were injured.