A 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in Indonesia.
As a result of the incident, one person died, and power supply was cut off in some areas.
On Thursday, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in the North Maluku Sea of Indonesia. Reuters reports on this citing officials.
It is reported that as a result of the incident, one person was killed, buildings were damaged, and tsunami waves were recorded. However, subsequent tsunami warnings were later canceled.
Indonesia's BMKG meteorological agency reported that tsunami waves were observed in five areas. The highest wave reached 0.75 meters in the Minahasa region of North Sulawesi. Additionally, nearly 50 aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5.8.
Agency head Teuku Fayaal Fathani initially stated that waves ranging from 0.5 to 3 meters could occur, but the warning was later canceled. The U.S. tsunami monitoring services also initially indicated a potential threat to the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, but later retracted this threat.
North Sulawesi Deputy Police Chief Avi Setiyono stated that one person was killed in the city of Manado due to the partial collapse of a building belonging to the sports office.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency urged citizens to remain vigilant. The statement emphasized the need to follow precautionary measures as the possibility of aftershocks persists.
According to initial information, several houses and churches suffered light to moderate damage.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake's epicenter was located about 580 km from the Philippine coast and 1000 km from Malaysia's Sabah state, at a depth of 35 km. In the last 50 years, nine other earthquakes with a magnitude above 7 have been observed near this area, but they did not cause major casualties.
Experts estimate that although the epicenter is relatively close to densely populated areas, the likelihood of additional casualties is low and economic damage is not expected to be extensive.
Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari advised the public to stay away from damaged buildings. Witnesses said people fled their homes in panic, and power outages occurred in some areas.
