Indonesia Gears Up For Aftershocks After Deadly Quake

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA/TERNATE (Worthy News) – Indonesia braced for aftershocks this Easter after a powerful earthquake killed at least one person, damaged churches and homes, and triggered a brief tsunami warning in the Maluku Sea region.

Journalists photographed a damaged church in the island city of Ternate early Good Friday, with shattered towers symbolizing widespread destruction following the 7.6-magnitude quake.

The tremor struck at 6:48 a.m. local time Thursday, with its epicenter in the Maluku Sea between Sulawesi and the Maluku islands at a depth of about 33 kilometers (20 miles), Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.

STRONG TREMORS FELT

Strong shaking lasting up to 20 seconds was reported in the North Sulawesi port city of Bitung and surrounding areas.

In the provincial capital Manado, one person was killed when a building collapsed, while another was hospitalized with a broken leg, officials said.

Among those affected was 39-year-old Meike Woworuntu, an evangelical Christian who described scenes of panic. “Everybody was running,” she told Worthy News, recalling how she felt the ground shake while returning home from selling vegetables at a local market.

Christians are a minority in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and several churches were among the structures damaged in the quake.

Authorities said dozens of houses, government buildings, roads, and places of worship were damaged across North Sulawesi and North Maluku.

TSUNAMI FEARS

Residents reported seawater receding by up to 10 meters (33 feet) shortly after the quake, prompting fears of a tsunami and mass evacuations in coastal communities, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.

A tsunami warning was issued but later lifted after waves of up to 0.75 meters (about 2.5 feet) were recorded.

In Ternate, five homes were heavily damaged and dozens of other buildings—including several churches—sustained lighter damage, local disaster officials said. At least 10 houses were also damaged in the Minahasa region.

HIGH-RISK REGION

President Prabowo Subianto ordered immediate assistance for affected communities, while disaster officials warned of continued seismic risks.

Indonesia’s disaster agency said the region remains highly vulnerable because it lies at the intersection of the Sunda, Australian, and Philippine Sea tectonic plates.

“It’s important to remember that this region has a high potential for earthquake and tsunami hazards,” said disaster agency chief Suharyanto.

PAST DISASTERS REMEMBERED

The latest quake revived memories of the devastating 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, when waves as high as 7 meters (23 feet) struck the city of Palu, killing more than 4,300 people.

Officials urged improved preparedness and stronger infrastructure, calling the latest disaster a wake-up call for communities in earthquake-prone regions.

Authorities warned that aftershocks remain possible in the coming days, underscoring Indonesia’s exposure to seismic risks as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity encircling much of the Pacific Ocean.

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