The Indonesia earthquake damaged buildings, but tsunami warnings were lifted

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia. Photo: Screenshot/USGS

Police say one person died as a result of falling rubble in Indonesia, and say Indonesia reported tsunami waves reaching a height of 0.75 metres. Disaster agency warns of the impact of aftershocks. The Philippines and Malaysia do not see any direct tsunami threat. Indonesia is vulnerable to earthquakes. The “Ring of Fire” extends across the Pacific Ocean.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck in Indonesia’s northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering a tsunami, authorities and witnesses said, although monitoring agencies said the likelihood of more casualties was low.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported at five locations, the highest at 0.75 meters in North Minahasa in North Sulawesi, and about 50 aftershocks were detected, the largest measuring 5.8 magnitude.

Teoko Faisal Fathani, head of BMKG, initially said modeling indicated a possible tsunami with waves between 0.5 meters and 3 meters high, but the agency lifted its tsunami warning later Thursday morning.

Tsunami warning authorities initially said that dangerous tsunami waves were likely to occur along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, but they later lifted the warning.

North Sulawesi Deputy Police Chief Uwe Setiono told reporters that one person was killed by falling debris in the city of Manado when part of a building used by the local sports authority collapsed.

Disaster agency urges vigilance

Indonesia is a tectonically complex part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismically active volcanoes that extends from South America to far eastern Russia.

The epicenter of Thursday’s earthquake was approximately 580 kilometers south of the coast of the Philippines and 1,000 kilometers from the Malaysian state of Sabah, and was at a depth of 35 kilometers.

The US Geological Survey said nine other earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater have occurred within 250 kilometers of Thursday’s event over the past 50 years but did not cause serious damage.

Although the epicenter was located 150 kilometers from densely populated islands such as Ternate and Sulawesi, the US Geological Survey said there was a “low possibility” of more casualties, and economic damage was also expected to be limited.

Indonesia’s national disaster agency urged caution.

“Although this situation is relatively small, it still requires vigilance due to the possibility of aftershocks,” she said in a statement. She added that initial reports indicate minor to moderate damage to several homes and a church, and that a full assessment is underway.

She added that tremors from the initial earthquake were felt strongly for 10 to 20 seconds in the city of Betong and the city of Ternate, and subsequent aftershocks were located at sea, urging the public to remain calm and follow instructions so that the authorities can declare the situation safe.

Abdul Mahari, spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Agency, urged citizens to stay away from damaged buildings, warning that aftershocks would continue.

Indonesian Metro Television showed video footage of damaged buildings, and a Manado resident told Reuters that people ran from their homes in panic.

The resident said that there was no apparent damage in her neighborhood, but that items fell from the shelves and the electricity went out.

Philippine seismological agency Phivolcs said there was no “devastating tsunami threat” to the country based on its latest data, while the Malaysian Meteorological Department said there was no immediate tsunami threat but it was monitoring developments.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned of the risk of waves less than 0.3 meters high above tidal levels on the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Japan may witness waves up to 0.2 meters high, but no damage is expected, and warned of the possibility of a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean.

– Reuters

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