Videos released by the rescue agency showed damaged structures and flattened houses, while television stations broadcast scenes of people rushing outside from their buildings
AP
Manado (Indonesia), Updated At : 10:24 AM Apr 02, 2026 IST
An undersea magnitude-7.4 earthquake toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, sent people fleeing, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami on Thursday.
Waves up to 75 cm (30 inches) above normal tides were recorded at several monitoring stations about a half-hour after the quake, which was centered in the Molucca Sea. 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, north of the epicenter.
Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province and in Ternate city in neighboring North Maluku province, the Disaster Management Agency said. Initial assessments found light to severe damage in parts of Ternate, including a church and two houses; assessments in Bitung were ongoing.
Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency reported a 70-year-old woman died in a building collapse in Manado, North Sulawesi, and another resident was injured. At least three people were hospitalized in Ternate.
Rescue-agency videos showed damaged structures and flattened houses, and TV footage showed residents rushing into streets to avoid collapsing buildings. Nearly 50 aftershocks were felt in nearby areas.
“We had just woken up and suddenly the earthquake hit… we all ran out of the house,” Bitung resident Marten Mandagi said. “The shaking was very strong.”
Photo for representation only. Image credit/iStock
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 280 million people, sits on major seismic faults and frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
