A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 was recorded off the Moluccas in Indonesia on Saturday (November 15), the US Geological Survey said, and a tsunami warning was issued for the area near the quake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said hazardous tsunamis were possible within 300 km (185 miles) of the quake's epicenter. The center said there was no danger of a Pacific-wide tsunami.
Tsunamis could be expected to reach Indonesia, the Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands, and as far away as Japan's Okinawa and Taiwan, it said.
Indonesia's Metro TV's news bulletin opened with news of the tremor.
“An earthquake that measured 7.3 on the Richter scale, occurred around the waters of Maluku at around 9:31 local time (0131 GMT). The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) has issued a Tsunami warning. The earthquake was felt as far as Manado, North Sulawesi. The epicenter is located 158km Timur Laut or 160km West of Laut Ternate. BMKG warns that tsunami is expected to affect areas at eastern Indonesia such as North Maluku, North Sulawesi, South-east Sulawesi, Gorontalo and Maluku,” an anchor said.
Metro TV interviewed staff based in North Maluku province who spoke over the phone about the situation.
“The situation is -- the locals were in a panic. Especially students who were in school were being told to evacuate. People also left their homes. The earthquake was estimated to have lasted between 30 seconds to one minute,” said Metro TV staff, Burhanudin.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the first waves could reach land within 30 minutes and the last within about six hours.
“The initial wave may not be the largest,” the center said in a statement.
The quake was measured at a depth of 47 km (34 miles), with the epicenter 134 km (83 miles) northwest of Ternate, an island in eastern Indonesia's Moluccas.
Another quake measuring 6.2 was recorded soon after off Indonesia's Sulawesi, according to the USGS.
REUTERS