TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 was felt in several regions in the provinces of North Sulawesi and North Maluku on Thursday, April 2, 2026, around 05:48 AM local time.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded the earthquake's epicenter at coordinates 1.25 degrees north latitude and 126.27 degrees east longitude, or 129 kilometers southeast of Bitung, North Sulawesi.
"The epicenter of the earthquake was in the sea at a depth of 33 kilometers," said the Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani in a teleconference at the BMKG office on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Potential Tsunami with Heights of 0.5-3 Meters
Faisal stated that the Bitung earthquake has the potential to cause a tsunami with wave heights ranging from 0.5-3 meters. Modeling results indicated the potential for a tsunami in the Ternate, Halmahera, Tidore, and Bitung regions.
Up to 07:00 AM local time, he continued, BMKG's monitoring showed 11 aftershock earthquake activities with the largest magnitude of 5.5.
"The observation results of sea level, a tsunami was detected in three newly entered locations, namely West Halmahera at 06:08 AM with a height of 0.3 meters, then Bitung at 06:15 AM at a height of 0.2 meters, and North Minahasa at 06:16 AM with a height of 0.75 meters," he said.
Small Tsunami Hits Halmahera
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) stated that the early warning system detected a relatively small tsunami wave height after the tectonic earthquake struck several regions in North Sulawesi and North Maluku yesterday.
The Head of Data, Information, and Communication Center for Disaster Management BNPB, Abdul Muhari, said a tsunami with a height of 0.3 meters occurred in West Halmahera at 06:08 AM and in Bitung seven minutes later.
"At 06:15 AM, a tsunami with a height of 0.2 meters occurred in Bitung," said Abdul in a written statement on Thursday.
Although relatively small, he said, the BNPB still advised the public to remain vigilant. The possibility of aftershock waves still exists.
Areas Declare Disaster Response
The Ternate City Government declared a disaster response status after a 7.6-magnitude tectonic earthquake struck several regions in North Sulawesi and North Maluku.
The Mayor of Ternate, Tauhid Soleman, stated that the disaster response status declaration began on Thursday, April 2, 2026, and will last for the next seven days.
"Today, I will sign a decree on the disaster response status. I have also instructed the Regional Disaster Management Agency to move to the disaster locations in Batang Dua, Moti, and Ternate," said Tauhid, who was met by Tempo after a disaster management meeting in Ternate on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Based on the information obtained, he said that several basic infrastructures, including places of worship, schools, and residential areas in the Batang Dua and Ternate regions, were damaged due to the earthquake.
93 Aftershocks
BMKG reported 93 aftershocks after a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck the sea areas southeast of Bitung City on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The number of aftershocks was recorded until 12:00 PM local time.
The Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani said the aftershocks varied in strength, ranging from magnitudes of 2.8 to 5.8. "With magnitudes of 2.8-5.8, seven felt earthquakes occurred," said Faisal in a virtual earthquake handling coordination meeting on Thursday.
He predicted that there is still the potential for aftershocks in the upcoming days. "Usually, after one or two days, the trend will be studied to see if it can end within a week, sometimes two weeks. This depends on the situation there," he said.
High Potential for Earthquakes in North Sulawesi and North Maluku
The Head of BNPB Lieutenant General Suharyanto stated that North Sulawesi and North Maluku are regions with a high potential for earthquakes in Indonesia. According to BNPB data, there have been frequent earthquakes in these two regions since 1608.
Therefore, he said, in North Sulawesi and North Maluku, the Regional Disaster Management Agency is equipped with earthquake and tsunami early warning systems to expedite information delivery and the mitigation process.
"This is our mutual concern. We must remind each other so that the public is more vigilant, more careful, and always enhances readiness and preparedness," said Suharyanto in a virtual earthquake handling coordination meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Prabowo Orders Evacuation
President Prabowo Subianto has received reports of a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the southwest coast of Batang Dua Island, Ternate, North Maluku.
Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya said the President has been monitoring the situation from the beginning. The President has received information from the Head of BNPB regarding the earthquake that struck North Sulawesi to North Maluku.
"Especially in the cities of Bitung and Ternate and Batang Dua Island," said Teddy in a written statement on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Teddy mentioned that Prabowo instructed Suharyanto to carry out the evacuation process as soon as possible. He explained that BNPB, TNI (military forces), Polri (police), and regional governments have been dispatched to the earthquake location to check and evacuate the affected residents.
"This morning, through the Head of BNPB, the President immediately instructed all apparatus and BNPB teams to evacuate the affected residents as soon as possible," he said.
Eka Yudha Saputra, Ervana Trikarinaputri, Dede Leni Mardianti, and Budhy Nurgianto from Ternate contributed to this article
Read: Ternate Observes Easter in Makeshift Tents as 7.6M Quake Damages Churches
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