Overview
- The offshore magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the Northern Molucca Sea, which hit Thursday morning local time, struck at a depth of about 35 km near Ternate.
- A regional tsunami warning covered coastlines within about 1,000 km and was withdrawn roughly two hours later after gauges logged small waves up to 75 cm in North Minahasa and 20–30 cm in Bitung and North Maluku.
- At least one person, a 70-year-old woman in Manado, died in a building collapse, with injuries reported in Manado and Ternate and damage to homes, a church in Ternate, and other structures in Bitung.
- BMKG recorded 11 aftershocks, the largest around magnitude 5.5, and officials urged people to avoid damaged buildings and remain alert for further shaking.
- Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so agencies like USGS, BMKG and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issue rapid alerts based on modeling and sea-level gauges, which can prompt wide warnings even when observed waves are modest.