A magnitude 7 earthquake has stuck south of Sulawesi in Indonesia, sparking a tsunami warning.
Residents in central Sulawesi have been advised to evacuate after the natural disaster, which happened at 7.40pm local time.
Anxious locals - who just months ago endured a horrific earthquake and tsunami which claimed more than 4,000 lives - have taken to the streets trying to reach safety.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit 174 miles south of the province of
Gorontalo, at a depth of 27 miles.
The Indonesia Geophysics Agency has issued a tsunami warning, a spokesman told Reuters.
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"It is clear that the quake has tsunami potential," said geophysics agency spokesman Taufan Maulana.
"Residents areadvised to evacuate as soon possible."
The agency is monitoring for high waves as the quake had the potential to trigger a tsunami, it added.
"The first wave may not be the biggest," it said in a statement.
In September last year a quake and tsunami in Sulawesi killed more than 4,000 people, mostly in the city of Palu.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the island's west coast on September 28, and a 20ft-high tsunami hit Palu.
The number killed in last year's tragedy could be as high as 5,000, the country's natural disaster agency said.
An estimated 70,000 people were displaced by last year's earthquake and tsunami.
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The quake was "strong and long lasting," Gina Saerang, a resident of Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, several hundred kilometers from the epicenter, said on social media.
Sulawesi is one of Indonesia's five main islands.
It is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are not unusual.
The USGS has warned that extensive damage is possible in poorly built buildings.
