Moderate quake strikes northern Maluku Sea, no tsunami threat to Malaysia

A MODERATE earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale was detected in the northern Maluku Sea, Indonesia, at 8.21pm last night, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

In a statement issued today, MetMalaysia said the tremor was located at coordinates 1.5 degrees north and 126.4 degrees east, with a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.

“The earthquake was located 131 kilometres east of Bitung,” the department said.

MetMalaysia added that there was no tsunami threat to Malaysia following the seismic event, and that the situation continues to be monitored as part of its regional seismic surveillance. - December 22, 2025