Indonesia earthquake damages buildings, but tsunami warnings lifted

JAKARTA, April 2 (Reuters) – A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the North Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering a tsunami, officials and witnesses said, although monitoring agencies said the chances of further casualties were low.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG said tsunami waves were recorded in five areas, the highest at 0.75 m (2.46 ft) in North Minahasa North Sulawesi and about 50 aftershocks were observed, the largest with a magnitude of 5.8.

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BMKG chief Teuku Faisal Fathani initially said the model showed a potential tsunami for waves 0.5 m to 3 m (1.6 ft to 9.8 ft) high, but the agency raised the tsunami warning later Thursday morning.

Tsunami warning officials initially said dangerous tsunamis were possible off the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, but later withdrew the warning.

One person was killed by falling debris in the town of Manado when part of a building used by local sports authorities collapsed, North Sulawesi police deputy chief Awi Setiyono told reporters.

THE DISASTER ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO BE CAREFUL

Indonesia is part of the complex “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a belt of volcanoes stretching from South America to the Russian Far East.

The epicenter of Thursday’s earthquake was 580 kilometers (360 miles) south of the Philippine coast and 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off Malaysia’s Sabah, and reached a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles).

The United States Geological Survey said that nine other earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater occurred within 250 km of Thursday’s event in the past 50 years but did not cause significant damage.

Although the disaster is within 150 kilometers (93 miles) of populated islands such as Ternate and Sulawesi, the USGS said there is a “low probability” of further casualties, and economic damage is also expected to be limited.

Indonesia’s national disaster agency has urged caution.

“Although relatively minor, this situation still requires vigilance due to the possibility of aftershocks,” it said in a statement. It said initial reports were of minor to moderate damage to several homes and a church, and a full investigation was underway.

It said that the tremors of the first earthquake were felt strongly for 10 to 20 seconds in Bitung City and Ternate City and the aftershocks that appeared in the sea, urged the public to remain calm and follow the guidelines until the authorities can declare that the situation is safe.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster agency, urged residents not to leave damaged buildings, warning that there are still aftershocks.

Indonesia’s Metro TV showed video of the destroyed buildings and a resident of Manado told Reuters that people came out of their homes in fear.

There was no visible damage to his neighborhood, but things fell off shelves and the power was out, the resident said.

Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs said there was no “destructive tsunami threat” in the country based on its latest data, while Malaysia’s weather agency said there was no immediate tsunami threat in the country but was monitoring developments.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has warned of a risk of waves of less than 0.3 m (1 ft) above sea level for the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Japan could see waves of up to 0.2 m (8 inches), but no damage is expected, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, as it warned of a possible tsunami in the Pacific.

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