A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Molucca Sea early Thursday, April 2.
The earthquake toppled buildings and triggered a brief tsunami warning. Authorities also reported the death of at least one person.
It had a depth of about 35 kilometers from the town of Ternate in the North Moluccas province. As reported by the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred around 6:48 a.m. (local time) and triggered dozens of aftershocks, including a strong tremor measuring 6.2 magnitude.
A 70-year-old woman was crushed to death by debris from a collapsed building in the city of Manado, capital of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province.
At least three other people were hospitalized with injuries in the town of Ternate.
Following the earthquake, a small tsunami of up to 75 centimeters was generated. It was recorded at several monitoring stations around the coast of the Molucca Sea.
However, two hours later, Indonesia’s meteorological agency lifted the tsunami warning.
Images from the affected area revealed destroyed homes, a destroyed sports complex and frightened people gathered in the streets away from buildings.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, characterized by intense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to the collision of tectonic plates.
This affects the vast population of more than 280 million people living in the Indonesian archipelago.
