A powerful undersea quake and small tsunami hit eastern Indonesia

A powerful undersea earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on 1 April 2026, knocking down buildings and setting off a small tsunami. As the Associated Press reports, the magnitude-7.4 quake was centred in the Molucca Sea and shook North Sulawesi and North Maluku in the morning. At least one person, a 70-year-old woman, died when a building collapsed in the city of Manado, and several people were hurt in Ternate.

The shaking lasted 10 to 20 seconds in some towns, long enough to send people running from their homes. "We had just woken up and suddenly the earthquake hit, we all ran out of the house," said one resident of Bitung, Marten Mandagi. Tsunami waves up to 75 centimetres above the normal tide were recorded, and dozens of aftershocks followed, including a strong one of magnitude 6.2.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where the movement of the Earth's plates makes earthquakes and tsunamis common. A quake at sea can be especially frightening because it can push up waves with little warning, though this time the tsunami stayed small.

Why it matters

For people along Indonesia's eastern coasts, a strong sea quake is a reminder to move to higher ground quickly when the shaking is long, even before any official warning. How well early-warning systems and building rules work decides how many survive the next big one. Watch whether damaged towns get help fast, and whether warning systems reached people in time.