An undersea magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck near the Molucca Sea and knocked down buildings in parts of northern Indonesia on Thursday, setting off small tsunami waves and prompting residents to flee, according to the Disaster Management Agency and other officials. The quake killed at least one person and damaged structures in areas including Ternate and Bitung, while authorities continued collecting information on damage and possible victims, particularly in remote villages.
The Disaster Management Agency said strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province and also in Ternate city in neighboring North Maluku province. The provinces border the Molucca Sea, where the quake was centered, officials said, describing the immediate aftermath as people ran outside and gathered in streets to avoid the risk of collapsing buildings.
Initial assessments showed light to severe damage in parts of Ternate, including a church and two houses, the agency said. In Bitung, damage assessments were still underway as officials worked to determine the extent of harm, the agency added.
Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency reported that a 70-year-old woman died in a building collapse in Manado city in North Sulawesi. The agency also reported another resident was injured, and it said at least three people were hospitalized in Ternate.
A Bitung resident, Marten Mandagi, described the moment the ground began to shake, saying, “We had just woken up and suddenly the earthquake hit… we all ran out of the house,” and adding, “The shaking was very strong,” according to the report.
Authorities said dozens of aftershocks followed, including one of magnitude 6.2. Officials continued to gather information on the scope of the disaster from multiple areas while working to assess damage and possible victims.
Tsunami waves up to 75 centimeters (30 inches) above normal tides were recorded at several monitoring stations along the Molucca Sea coast, according to Indonesia’s meteorological and disaster response reporting. Indonesia’s meteorological agency lifted its tsunami warning hours after the quake, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said there was no destructive threat to the Philippines, which lies north of the epicenter.
Indonesia, a country of more than 280 million people, sits on major seismic faults and is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, officials have said.