A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami warning and causing at least one death in North Sulawesi province.
The local head of search and rescue, George Leo Mercy Randang, reported that a person died when a building collapsed in Manado, with another individual injured in the leg. The victim was trapped under the debris.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially recorded the quake at magnitude 7.8, which occurred at 06:48 local time (22:48 Lisbon time) in the Molucca Sea. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii issued alerts for potentially dangerous tsunami waves within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter, covering Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
For Indonesia, expected wave heights are between 0.3 and 1 meter, while smaller waves could also impact Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Observed waves reached 0.3 meters in North Maluku province and 0.2 meters in Bitung, Sulawesi.
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Residents in Manado reported that the earthquake caused panic as the ground shook for an extended period. Budi Nurgianto, 42, from Ternate, said the tremor struck while he was indoors, prompting many to rush outside.
Indonesia, an archipelago of over 280 million people, lies on major seismic faults within the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, making it highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Historical events include:
- 2022 Java earthquake (magnitude 5.6) – 602 deaths in Cianjur.
- 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami – over 4,300 deaths.
- 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami – over 230,000 deaths, mostly in Aceh, Indonesia.
Authorities continue monitoring the situation and advising residents to stay alert for further aftershocks or tsunami activity.
