An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia’s Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported in five locations, the highest at 0.75 m (2.46 ft) in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi and 11 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of 5.5. It warned the public to stay alert.
BMKG chief Teuku Faisal Fathani told a press conference that its modeling indicated there was tsunami potential for waves of 0.5 m to 3 m (1.6 ft to 9.8 ft) high.
U.S. tsunami warning authorities initially said hazardous tsunamis were possible along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia within 1,000 km (620 miles) of the epicenter, but later removed the threat warning.
One person was killed by falling rubble in the Manado area when part of a building used by the local sports authority collapsed, deputy chief of North Sulawesi police Awi Setiyono told reporters.
