Authorities and witnesses reported that a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Indonesia’s Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday killed one person, damaged structures, and caused tsunami waves. However, monitoring organisations stated that there was little chance of more casualties. Five areas reported tsunami waves, the greatest of which was 0.75 meters (2.46 feet) in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi, according to Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG. Approximately fifty aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5.8.
Powerful 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Indonesia’s Molucca Sea, Are There Any Tsunami Alerts?
Teuku Faisal Fathani, the head of BMKG, first stated that modelling suggested there was a tsunami possibility for waves that were 0.5 to 3 meters (1.6 to 9.8 feet) high. However, the agency later on Thursday morning lifted its tsunami warning. Additionally, dangerous tsunamis might occur along the shores of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, according to U.S. tsunami warning experts, who later removed the threat alert. Awi Setiyono, deputy commander of North Sulawesi police, told reporters that one person was killed by falling debris in Manado city after a portion of a structure used by the local sports organization fell.
DISASTER AGENCY URGES VIGILANCE
The “Pacific Ring of Fire” is a seismically active ring of volcanoes that stretches from South America to the Russian Far East, and Indonesia is a tectonically complicated portion of it. The epicentre of Thursday’s earthquake struck at a depth of 35 km (22 miles), approximately 580 km (360 miles) south of the Philippine coast and 1,000 km (620 miles) from Malaysia’s Sabah. Nine such earthquakes with a magnitude of seven or higher have happened within 250 kilometres of the Thursday incident over the past fifty years, according to the US Geological Survey, but they haven’t resulted in significant damage.
“Although relatively small, this situation still requires vigilance due to the potential for aftershocks,” it said in a statement. It said initial reports were of minor to moderate damage to several houses and a church, and a fuller assessment was underway. It said tremors from the initial quake were felt strongly for 10 to 20 seconds in Bitung City and Ternate City and subsequent aftershocks were located in the sea, urging the public to remain calm and follow guidance until authorities could declare the situation was safe. Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for Indonesia‘s disaster agency, urged citizens to stay away from damaged buildings, warning that there were still aftershocks. Indonesia‘s Metro TV showed video footage of damaged buildings and a Manado resident told Reuters people ran out of their houses in panic.
The resident reported that although there was no obvious damage in her neighbourhood, things had fallen off shelves and the power had been turned off. Based on its most recent data, the Philippines’ seismology agency Phivolcs declared that there was “no destructive tsunami threat” to the nation, while Malaysia’s meteorology authority stated that there was no imminent tsunami hazard but that it was keeping an eye on developments. For the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning about the possibility of waves smaller than 0.3 m (1 ft) over tide levels. The Japan Meteorological Agency cautioned that a tsunami might occur in the Pacific, but minimal damage is anticipated despite the possibility of waves as high as 0.2 m (8 inches) in Japan.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
