A powerful earthquake off Indonesia's northern Sulawesi early today has killed at least two people and injured nearly 40 after hundreds of houses collapsed.
Indonesia briefly issued a tsunami warning which was lifted later, the meteorological office said.
The magnitude 7.5 quake was at a depth of 21km, with its epicentre 136 km (84 miles) northwest of the provincial capital of Gorontalo, the US Geological Survey said.
A series of further weaker aftershocks struck in the same area of the Celebes Sea bordering the southern Philippines.
Rustam Pakaya, head of the Indonesian health ministry's crisis centre, said initial information showed two people had died, one in Gorontalo after a building collapsed and another in the district of Buol in Central Sulawesi province. He said 37 people were injured.
More than 200 houses were damaged in Buol, Mr Pakaya said, adding there were reports of collapsed schools and homes in Gorontalo.
In more remote parts of Indonesia, it often takes time for assessments of damage or casualties to arrive.
On Tuesday, Indonesia unveiled a hi-tech system aimed at detecting a potential tsunami and providing faster alerts, though experts say large parts of the country are not covered and the system will not be fully operational until 2010.
Reuters