A powerful tremor centered near Ternate island forced residents to flee coastal areas as authorities issued warnings for Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. While the tsunami threat was later lifted, the quake caused building collapses and dozens of aftershocks across the North Maluku and North Sulawesi provinces.

Casualties and Injuries

A 70-year-old woman in Manado died after being buried under rubble, while at least four other individuals were hospitalized with injuries across the region.

Tsunami Wave Measurements

Actual tsunami waves reached heights of 75 centimeters in North Minahasa, significantly lower than the one-meter maximum initially feared by the PTWC.

Infrastructure Damage

Initial reports from the BNPB indicate moderate damage to residential homes and a church in the Batang Dua district of Ternate.

Seismic Context

The region recorded nearly 50 aftershocks within hours of the main event, with the strongest reaching a magnitude of 5.5, keeping residents on high alert.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Molucca Sea in eastern Indonesia on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at 06:48 local time, killing at least one person and triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted. The United States Geological Survey confirmed the magnitude at 7.4, revising an initial reading as high as 7.8. The epicenter was located approximately 127 kilometers west-northwest of Ternate, in North Maluku province, at a depth of 35 kilometers. A 70-year-old woman died in the city of Manado, in North Sulawesi province, after falling debris from a collapsing building struck her. Another person broke a leg while jumping from a building during the tremor, and at least three additional people were taken to hospital on the island of Ternate. The USGS noted that the quake occurred more than 120 kilometers east of Sulawesi island, placing the epicenter between northern Sulawesi and the North Moluccas.

Tsunami waves reach 75 cm before warning lifted The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii initially warned of dangerous tsunami waves within a radius of 1,000 kilometers around the epicenter, covering coastlines of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System estimated waves of between 30 centimeters and one meter above normal tide levels for parts of the Indonesian coast. Within two hours of the earthquake, waves up to 75 centimeters were recorded in nine locations, primarily in the provinces of North Maluku and North Sulawesi, including a 30-centimeter wave north of Ternate and a 20-centimeter wave in Bitung on the northeast coast of Sulawesi. The BMKG lifted its tsunami warning a few hours after the quake, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that the danger had passed. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology announced there was no destructive tsunami risk for the Philippines, and the Japan Meteorological Agency stated only slight sea-level variations were possible along Japanese coasts without risk of damage. Australian authorities similarly confirmed no tsunami threat for their territory.

North Minahasa (North Sulawesi): 75, Ternate (North Maluku): 30, Bitung (North Sulawesi): 20

Nearly 50 aftershocks follow the main tremor Teuku Faisal Fathani, director of the BMKG, reported that almost 50 aftershocks were recorded following the main tremor, with the strongest reaching a magnitude of 5.5, though one source reported a separate aftershock of magnitude 6.2. George Leo Mercy Randang, the head of search and rescue services in North Sulawesi, confirmed the death toll and injury figures to AFP by telephone from Manado.

„One person died and another sustained a leg injury” — George Leo Mercy Randang via AFP

The Indonesian disaster management agency reported that the earthquake was felt strongly for 10 to 20 seconds in Bitung and in Ternate and neighboring areas. Initial assessments indicated minor to moderate damage in certain areas of Ternate, a city of approximately 205,000 inhabitants, including a damaged church in the Batang Dua island district and two homes in South Ternate. An AFP journalist in Manado reported that the quake woke residents and sent people rushing into the streets, though he observed no significant structural damage in that city.

Indonesia's Ring of Fire location makes it earthquake-prone Indonesia is a vast archipelago of more than 280 million people situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active zone characterized by frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by the movement of tectonic plates. On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people across numerous countries, with around 170,000 deaths in Indonesia's Aceh province alone. The country experiences earthquakes regularly due to the convergence of multiple tectonic plates beneath and around the archipelago.

The Molucca Sea, where Thursday's earthquake originated, is bordered by the Indonesian island of Sulawesi to the west and Halmahera to the east. The quake struck at a depth of 35 kilometers, a figure confirmed by the USGS after initial depth estimates varied between 10 and 53 kilometers across different agencies. Indonesian authorities initially reported the magnitude as 7.6 before the USGS settled on 7.4, a pattern consistent with the normal process of manually correcting early seismic readings. 1,000 (km) — radius of initial tsunami danger zone around epicenter The relatively modest wave heights ultimately recorded, combined with the swift lifting of the tsunami warning approximately two hours after the quake, limited the disaster's scope compared to the initial warnings. Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid coastal areas until safety confirmations were issued.

Mentioned People

  • George Leo Mercy Randang — Lokalny szef służb poszukiwawczo-ratowniczych w Manado
  • Teuku Faisal Fathani — Dyrektor indonezyjskiej Agencji Meteorologii, Klimatologii i Geofizyki (BMKG)

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