A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, with monitors briefly warning of the possibility of hazardous tsunami waves before lifting the threat, writes Al Jazeera.

The epicentre was north of the island of Flores in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where the quake sparked terror after hitting at around 0320 GMT.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency known as BMKG earlier reported the earthquake as a magnitude 7.4, and warned of “potential tsunami”.

No significant damage or deaths were immediately reported from the areas where the quake was felt, but authorities urged caution.

The USGS said the chance of casualties was low, while noting that “recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as tsunamis and landslides that might have contributed to losses”.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the areas of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and Southeast and South Sulawesi.