Jakarta (Indonesia), Apr. 2 (LaPresse) – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the northern Maluku Sea region in Indonesia. This was reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), as cited by The Guardian. The quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km. The epicenter was recorded about 120 km from the city of Ternate, in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, which has a population of over 205,000. The earthquake triggered small tsunami waves, killing at least one person and damaging homes and buildings, officials said. Tsunami waves were recorded at several monitoring stations less than half an hour later, including 20 cm in Bitung and 30 cm in West Halmahera, according to the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu recorded 5 cm waves in Davao in southern Philippines, but with no threat to more distant areas approximately three hours after the quake. According to the Search and Rescue Agency, the confirmed fatality is a 70-year-old woman who died in Minahasa district, North Sulawesi, and another resident was injured. Initial assessments showed minor to moderate damage in some areas of Ternate, where local disaster management officials reported that a church on Batang Dua Island district was hit and two houses were damaged in South Ternate. In Bitung, damage assessments are still ongoing.
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