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A 7.4-MAGNITUDE earthquake jolted eastern Indonesia at 6.48am local time on April 2, according to the United States Geological Survey, which reported the tremor occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres beneath the Molucca Sea, off the island of Ternate.
In the immediate aftermath, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert cautioning that “hazardous tsunami waves” could impact coastal areas within 1,000 kilometres of the epicentre, spanning Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Reporting from Manado, in North Sulawesi province, an AFP journalist described scenes of alarm as the quake struck, saying the tremor forced residents from their homes.
“I immediately woke up and left my house. People (were) immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside,” he said.
He added that the shaking lasted for a considerable duration, noting it persisted for “quite long”, although he did not observe any “significant damage”.
Authorities have yet to report major destruction or casualties as monitoring continues across the affected region. - April 2, 2026
