Indonesia was jolted Thursday morning by a massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Northern Molucca Sea, triggering tsunami warnings and sparking panic across coastal regions.
The tremor struck at 7.48 am local time at a shallow depth of 35 km, shaking cities in North Maluku and North Sulawesi for nearly 20 seconds.
Authorities confirmed one fatality in Manado after a sports authority building collapsed. The national meteorology agency BMKG issued immediate tsunami alerts, with waves reaching five coastal sites peaking at 0.75 meters in North Minahasa. While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially cautioned neighboring countries, the threat was later downgraded.
Residents in Bitung and Ternate fled homes as aftershocks rippled through the region, more than 50 recorded, the strongest at 5.8 magnitude. Officials urged caution around damaged structures.
Indonesia, sitting atop the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, has endured nine quakes above magnitude 7.0 in the Molucca Sea over the past five decades. The latest event underscores the region's seismic vulnerability, even as authorities work to reassure citizens and monitor ongoing risks.