A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the Molucca Sea off Indonesia's Ternate island early Thursday, killing at least one person.
The quake, which struck at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT) at a depth of 35km, sparked tsunami warnings which have since been withdrawn.
A 70-year-old woman in North Sulawesi died after being crushed by building debris, and another person broke their leg after jumping off a building, Indonesia's national news agency Antara reported.
While the region experiences high levels of seismic activity, some residents told the BBC this was one of the strongest earthquakes they have felt in at least the past six years.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that tsunami waves less than 0.3m (1 ft) were possible along the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami alert was lifted after two hours.
Journalist Isvara Safitri, who lives in central Manado, recalled how furniture in her room shook for several seconds. It was really strong... My head even felt dizzy, she told BBC Indonesian.
Even the roads outside the house were shaking, she said, adding that the earthquake feels like the strongest she's experienced over the past six years.
Yayuk Oktiani, who lives in Bitung, a city on the north-eastern coast of Sulawesi, said she often experiences tremors, but they're never as strong as this one.
Oktiani was at the market when everything started shaking. Several stores experienced power outages and as the tremors got stronger, people fled.
In Ternate, resident Budi Nurgianto reported that the walls in his house vibrated for what felt like more than a minute, rushing outside into a scene of panic.
Manado and Bitung are located on the island of Sulawesi, while Ternate is a volcanic island in the North Maluku province.
The epicentre of the quake was roughly midway between Manado and Ternate.
At least two aftershocks, with magnitudes 5.5 and 5.2, followed the major quake, with authorities warning of more to come.
The national geological agency reported damage to buildings and injuries about an hour after the initial tremor, but did not provide further detail.
Footage from a search and rescue team in Manado shows residents and officials walking through the rubble at a sports complex, with some shouting oh my God. Large pieces of furniture were flung onto the ground, with some metallic structures bent out of shape.
A patient at Siloam Hospital in Manado recounted the frantic efforts to evacuate staff and patients, explaining how the building shook, prompting immediate evacuation measures.
