Major tsunami warning issued after 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia

Dan McDonald
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:33:08 +0000

A major tsunami warning has been issued after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia.

Indonesia - along with neighbouring countries Malaysia and the Philippines - has been put on high alert for dangerous tsunami waves.

The US Tsunami Warning System (USTWS) has warned the hazardous waves could occur within 1,000 km of the epicenter in the Northern Molucca Sea.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Its epicenter was roughly 120 km from the city of Ternate, located in the North Maluku province of Indonesia, the USGS said.

The city is home to more than 205,000 residents.

According to USGS data, the major tremor occurred at around 6.48pm local time.

Two smaller aftershocks have been detected close to where the 7.8 magnitude quake took place.

They registered magnitudes of 5.5 and 5.4 respectively and both occurred within half an hour after the initial shake.

Aftershocks can occur in the days, weeks and potentially years after the initial quake.

Although they are typically smaller, they can often be of equal or larger magnitude to the first trembler.

The USTWS has cautioned that tsunami waves reaching 0.3 metres to one metre above the tide level could hit Indonesia's coastline.

EARTHQUAKES - READ THE LATEST:

Thousands of British tourists rocked by earthquake after volcano alert issued in holiday hotspots

Massive 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Japan sparking tsunami fears

Californian city rocked by hundreds of earthquakes as locals fear ‘Big One’ imminent

The agency issued an additional forecast of waves less than 30cm above tide level for Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency has said "slight sea level changes" could hit the Japanese coast, though added that no tsunami damage is expected.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology confirmed there was no threat of tsunami waves striking the country's mainland or islands.

Indonesia's geophysics agency said waves of 0.3 metres above the tidal level had made contact off its shoreline in the aftermath of the large tremor.

Indonesia is particularly prone to quakes due to its location on the Ring of Fire - a horseshoe-shaped belt surrounding the Pacific Ocean with intense tectonic activity.

It is home to three-quarters of the active volcanoes worldwide and is the site of around 90 per cent of total global shakes.

On Boxing Day 2004, a 9.3 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Aceh, in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

The enormous earthquake caused a huge tsunami with waves up to 30m (100ft) high, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 Asian countries.