Deadly quake rocks Indonesia: Tsunami warning covers 1,000km radius

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Northern Molucca Sea in eastern Indonesia early on Thursday, 2 April 2026, damaging buildings, setting off small tsunami waves along Indonesian coastlines, and prompting regional tsunami alerts covering parts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. One person was killed by falling debris in the Manado area of North Sulawesi province, Indonesian broadcaster Metro TV reported. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center subsequently confirmed the tsunami threat had passed.

What were the confirmed magnitude, depth and epicentre details of the Molucca Sea earthquake on 2 April 2026?

The United States Geological Survey recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.4, with its epicentre located approximately 127 kilometres west-northwest of the city of Ternate in North Maluku province. The quake struck at a depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea, the body of water situated between Indonesia’s Sulawesi and Maluku island groups. The tremor hit at 6:48 a.m. local time. The USGS had initially recorded the magnitude at 7.8 before revising it downward; the depth was similarly revised from an initial reading of 10 kilometres to the confirmed figure of 35 kilometres.

Which international and Indonesian agencies issued tsunami warnings following the Molucca Sea earthquake?

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert stating that hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. The Center warned that waves reaching between 0.3 and 1 metre above tide level were possible for some Indonesian coastlines. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG, also issued a tsunami warning and stated the threat level was under close monitoring. The United States Tsunami Warning System separately confirmed dangerous tsunami waves were possible within the same 1,000-kilometre radius.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center additionally noted that smaller waves of up to 0.3 metres were possible for the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami forecast warning of slight sea level changes for Japan’s Pacific coast, noting this alert level does not predict damage. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, after evaluation, stated that no destructive tsunami threat existed for the Philippines, noting a depth reading of 76 kilometres for the event. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center subsequently confirmed the threat had passed approximately three hours after the quake.

What tsunami wave heights were recorded at Indonesian monitoring stations after the Molucca Sea quake?

Tsunami waves were recorded at several Indonesian monitoring stations within 30 minutes of the earthquake. Indonesia’s BMKG geological agency recorded waves of 30 centimetres in West Halmahera in North Maluku province and 20 centimetres in the port city of Bitung in northeastern North Sulawesi. Waves of 5 centimetres were recorded in Davao in the southern Philippines, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu.

Which cities in North Maluku and North Sulawesi were placed on evacuation alert after the earthquake?

Local authorities in the cities of Ternate and Tidore, both in North Maluku province, were urged to prepare residents for evacuation following the quake. Ternate is Indonesia’s historic spice island city with a population of more than 200,000. Authorities also urged residents in coastal areas across the affected provinces to remain calm, stay alert and follow official instructions from national and local agencies. Indonesia’s national geological agency advised the public to avoid coastal areas and cliffs prone to landslides and to follow evacuation signage.

Indonesian broadcaster Metro TV broadcast images of damaged buildings. The USGS reported aftershocks reaching up to magnitude 5 in the hours following the main event, with the German Research Centre for Geosciences recording a follow-on tremor of magnitude 5.5 near Ternate at 8:07 a.m. local time. One person, described as a 70-year-old woman, died after being crushed by building debris in Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi, according to a local search and rescue team. Rescuers also documented a badly damaged building at a Manado sports complex.

How did residents in Bitung and Ternate describe the impact of the Molucca Sea earthquake on their communities?

Residents in the coastal city of Bitung, North Sulawesi, described strong shaking that prompted people to flee their homes. Bitung resident Marten Mandagi told the Associated Press that the shaking was very strong and that he and others ran out of their houses in panic. Mandagi said he had not seen damage in his immediate area and confirmed he was safe. In Ternate, resident Budi Nurgianto, aged 42, described hearing the walls of his house shake before rushing outside to find others in a state of panic. A Manado resident told Reuters that people ran out of their houses in panic following the tremor.

Why does the Molucca Sea generate such frequent and powerful earthquakes affecting Indonesia and the Philippines?

The Molucca Sea is one of the most seismically active zones in eastern Indonesia, situated at the convergence of several tectonic plates in the western Pacific. The region lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Basin. Countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia sit along this arc, where tectonic plates collide beneath the sea floor, producing frequent and sometimes powerful seismic events. Earthquakes in the Molucca Sea are often offshore and comparatively shallow in depth, conditions that can intensify surface shaking and increase the potential for tsunami generation.

Indonesia is a vast archipelago of more than 280 million people situated on major seismic faults. The country experiences frequent earthquakes and periodic volcanic eruptions as a direct consequence of its position on the Ring of Fire. The Molucca Sea specifically sits between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups, a region where multiple tectonic boundaries create conditions conducive to high-magnitude seismic events. The cities most directly affected by Thursday’s earthquake, including Ternate, Manado and Bitung, lie in provinces that have historically experienced significant earthquake and tsunami damage.

What is the historical record of deadly earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia that provides context for the 2026 Molucca Sea event?

Indonesia has experienced several catastrophic earthquake and tsunami events in recent decades. In December 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake struck Aceh province in northern Sumatra, generating a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Indonesia alone and caused widespread destruction across the Indian Ocean basin. In September 2018, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Sulawesi, the same island province affected by Thursday’s event, killing more than 4,300 people in and around the city of Palu. In November 2022, a magnitude-5.6 earthquake killed at least 602 people in Cianjur city in West Java, the deadliest single earthquake event in Indonesia since the 2018 Sulawesi disaster. These historical events underscore why Indonesian and international monitoring agencies treat any high-magnitude seismic event in the Molucca Sea region as requiring immediate regional alert protocols.

How does the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center coordinate regional tsunami alerts for Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia?

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, is operated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and serves as a primary international coordination point for tsunami alerts across the Pacific basin. When the Center detects a seismic event with potential for tsunami generation, it issues graduated alerts specifying the approximate radius within which hazardous waves may be possible and the expected wave heights above tide level for different coastlines. The Center’s alerts are directed at government agencies in threatened coastal countries, which are then responsible for informing and instructing their populations at risk.

Following Thursday’s Molucca Sea earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center directed government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas to take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk, and advised persons in threatened coastal areas to stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities. The Center subsequently lifted the tsunami threat designation approximately three hours after the initial event, after observed wave heights at monitoring stations remained well below the upper-range forecast.

Indonesia’s BMKG operates a national network of tsunami monitoring stations that detected and reported the wave heights observed in West Halmahera and Bitung within 30 minutes of the earthquake, enabling authorities to assess actual wave behaviour against forecast models in near real time. The Japan Meteorological Agency independently assessed the seismic event and issued a domestic tsunami forecast, indicating its alert level did not predict damage to Japan but warranted public notification.

Key takeaways: What the Molucca Sea earthquake and tsunami warning mean for Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asia region

• A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the Northern Molucca Sea at 6:48 a.m. local time on 2 April 2026, with its epicentre approximately 127 kilometres west-northwest of Ternate in North Maluku province, at a depth of 35 kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey.
• The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a hazardous tsunami warning covering a 1,000-kilometre radius from the epicentre, affecting the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia; observed wave heights reached 30 centimetres in West Halmahera and 20 centimetres in Bitung, well below upper-range forecasts. The tsunami threat was subsequently lifted.
• One fatality was confirmed: a person killed by falling building debris in Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi province; buildings were damaged in the Manado area, and aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.5 were recorded in the hours following the main event.
• Evacuation preparations were ordered for the cities of Ternate and Tidore in North Maluku province; Indonesia’s national geological agency advised the public to avoid coastal zones and landslide-prone cliffs and to follow official evacuation signage.
• The event reaffirms the acute seismic vulnerability of the Molucca Sea region within the Pacific Ring of Fire and the continuing role of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, BMKG, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as the primary coordinating institutions for regional disaster alert and response in Southeast Asia.