At least two people have been found dead and thousands were forced from their homes after a major 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia, an official said Monday.
The shallow quake struck about 165 kilometres (100 miles) south of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province on Sunday evening, according to the US Geological Survey.
In the sparsely populated South Halmahera district, the closest area to the epicentre, around 160 houses collapsed or were damaged when the earthquake struck.
Two women died after being hit by debris, officials said.
