A powerful magnitude‑7.4 earthquake struck the Northern Molucca Sea near Indonesia’s Ternate island on Thursday, damaging buildings, triggering small tsunami waves and leaving at least one person dead, authorities and witnesses confirmed.
The US Geological Survey recorded several strong aftershocks some as high as magnitude 5 while Indonesia’s meteorology agency, BMKG, reported tsunami waves of 0.3m in West Halmahera and 0.2m in Bitung shortly after the quake.
Local broadcaster Metro TV reported that one person was killed in Manado, North Sulawesi, after being crushed by falling rubble. Video footage showed damaged buildings across the region. Officials later confirmed the victim had been “buried under the rubble” of a collapsed structure, while another person suffered a leg injury.
Residents described scenes of panic as people ran from their homes. One Manado resident said items fell from shelves and power was cut, though she did not see major structural damage. Others reported that the shaking lasted “quite long,” even if widespread destruction was limited.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami alert but lifted it two hours later, saying all available data indicated the threat had passed.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active seismic zones, where tectonic plates collide and generate frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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