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A man inspects debris at the site of a damaged building following an earthquake in Manado, North Sulawesi province, Indonesia, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)
An undersea earthquake of 7.4 magnitude toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, sent people fleeing from their homes, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami Thursday.
Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province as well as in Ternate city in neighbouring North Maluku province, according to Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency.
Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency reported a 70-year-old woman died in a building collapse in North Sulawesi's Manado city and another resident was injured. At least three injured people were hospitalised in Ternate.
The United States Geological Survey reported aftershocks of magnitude as high as 5, and Indonesia's meteorology agency BMKG reported tsunami waves in West Halmahera at 0.3m high and Bitung at 0.2m high.
A Manado resident told Reuters that people ran out of their houses in panic. There was no visible damage in her neighbourhood, but items fell off shelves and power had been cut.
Hazardous tsunamis were possible along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia within 1,000 km (620 miles) of the epicentre, US tsunami warning authorities said.
The epicentre of the quake was roughly 580 km south of the Philippine coast and 1,000 km from Malaysia's Sabah.
