The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit the north-eastern coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been described as one of the strongest quakes in recent years by some residents. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami alert for the affected areas, including Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Taiwan. At least two aftershocks with magnitudes 5.5 and 5.2 followed the major quake, with authorities warning of more seismic activity.