A strong offshore tremor triggered panic across Southeast Asia before officials confirmed there was no tsunami threat, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to sudden seismic shocks.
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A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early Thursday, but authorities later lifted tsunami warnings that had been issued shortly after the tremor.
The alert had initially raised fears of dangerous sea waves along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit the Molucca Sea at around 6:48 am local time. Its epicentre was located at 1.20 degrees north latitude and 126.35 degrees east longitude. The magnitude was first estimated at 7.8 before being revised to 7.4.
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The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had earlier cautioned that hazardous waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres of the epicentre. Coastal areas in Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia were identified as vulnerable zones.
The USGS also flagged the possibility of dangerous waves in the same radius.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake occurred at a depth of about 30 kilometres. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency recorded the magnitude at 6.4 and placed the depth at 13 kilometres.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a stretch where the earth is constantly shifting beneath the surface. Because of this, earthquakes are not unusual here, and alerts like these are part of life.
Recent quake activity in the region
On March 3, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, the USGS said. The tremor caused panic among residents, who rushed outdoors, but there were no reports of major damage.
Frequent tremors are common in Indonesia, where communities are used to sudden seismic events but remain vulnerable to their impact.
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