A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the Molucca Sea off Indonesia's Ternate island early Thursday, killing at least one person. The quake, which struck at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT) at a depth of 35km, sparked tsunami warnings which have since been withdrawn. A 70-year-old woman in North Sulawesi died after being crushed by building debris, and another person broke their leg after jumping off a building, Indonesia's national news agency Antara reported.
While the region experiences high levels of seismic activity, some residents told the BBC this was one of the strongest earthquakes they have felt in at least the past six years. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that tsunami waves less than 0.3m (1 ft) were possible along the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami alert was lifted after two hours.
Journalist Isvara Safitri, who lives in central Manado, recalled how furniture in her room shook for several seconds. It was really strong... My head even felt dizzy, she told BBC Indonesian. Even the roads outside the house were shaking, she said, adding that the earthquake feels like the strongest she has experienced over the past six years.
Yayuk Oktiani, who lives in Bitung, a city on the north-eastern coast of Sulawesi, described how chaos erupted at the market as power outages hit and panic spread when the ground shook. She rushed to her child's school, which is located near the coast. In Ternate, resident Budi Nurgianto mentioned how the walls of his home vibrated intensely for what felt like more than a minute, leading many residents to flee into the streets.
The epicentre of the quake was roughly midway between Manado, Bitung, and Ternate, causing at least two aftershocks measuring 5.5 and 5.2 on the Richter scale. National geological authorities reported damage to buildings and injuries following the strong tremors, with footage showing scenes of devastation in affected locations like Manado, where search and rescue teams have been deployed to provide assistance to those in need.
While the region experiences high levels of seismic activity, some residents told the BBC this was one of the strongest earthquakes they have felt in at least the past six years. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that tsunami waves less than 0.3m (1 ft) were possible along the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami alert was lifted after two hours.
Journalist Isvara Safitri, who lives in central Manado, recalled how furniture in her room shook for several seconds. It was really strong... My head even felt dizzy, she told BBC Indonesian. Even the roads outside the house were shaking, she said, adding that the earthquake feels like the strongest she has experienced over the past six years.
Yayuk Oktiani, who lives in Bitung, a city on the north-eastern coast of Sulawesi, described how chaos erupted at the market as power outages hit and panic spread when the ground shook. She rushed to her child's school, which is located near the coast. In Ternate, resident Budi Nurgianto mentioned how the walls of his home vibrated intensely for what felt like more than a minute, leading many residents to flee into the streets.
The epicentre of the quake was roughly midway between Manado, Bitung, and Ternate, causing at least two aftershocks measuring 5.5 and 5.2 on the Richter scale. National geological authorities reported damage to buildings and injuries following the strong tremors, with footage showing scenes of devastation in affected locations like Manado, where search and rescue teams have been deployed to provide assistance to those in need.
