Earthquake off Indonesia topples buildings, kills 1 person and sets off small tsunami

by GRACEY WAKARI and MOHAMMAD TAUFAN
April 2, 2026

A powerful undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck northern Indonesia, causing extensive damage to structures, displacing residents, resulting in at least one fatality, and triggering a minor tsunami on Thursday.

Monitoring stations recorded wave heights reaching up to 75 centimeters (30 inches) above the typical tide levels approximately 30 minutes after the quake, which was located in the Molucca Sea. Authorities from Indonesia's meteorological agency subsequently lifted their tsunami warning a few hours post-incident, while the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology confirmed that there was no significant threat posed to the Philippines, situated north of the quake's epicenter.

The tremors, which lasted between 10 to 20 seconds, were strongly perceived in Bitung within North Sulawesi province, as well as in Ternate city, located in the adjacent North Maluku province, as reported by Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency.

Initial evaluations indicated varying degrees of damage from light to severe in Ternate, affecting a church and two residences. Damage assessments in Bitung were still in progress.

Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency confirmed the death of a 70-year-old woman who was killed when a building collapsed in Manado city, also in North Sulawesi. Another resident was reported injured, with three individuals receiving hospital treatment in Ternate.

Footage from the rescue agency depicted damaged buildings alongside flattened houses, while local television broadcasts showed images of residents fleeing outside to congregate in streets, avoiding potential hazards from collapsing structures.

The region experienced nearly 50 aftershocks in the aftermath.

"We had just woken up when the earthquake struck... we all hurried out of the house," remarked Marten Mandagi, a resident of Bitung. "The shaking was extremely intense."

As a nation composed of over 280 million people, Indonesia is located on significant seismic fault lines, making it susceptible to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Key concepts:
tsunami
aftershock

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