Swift Post-Earthquake Response in North Maluku-North Sulawesi, Basarnas Deploys 3 SAR Offices

Jakarta, VIVA – Basarnas has deployed full personnel from three SAR offices to carry out swift handling following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that triggered an early tsunami warning in North Maluku and North Sulawesi.

Head of Basarnas, Mohammad Syafii, stated that the involved SAR offices are located in North Sulawesi, Maluku, and Palu. They immediately moved in coordination with the TNI, Polri, BPBD, and other SAR potentials to ensure the condition of residents and the extent of damage.

“The teams in the field immediately conducted rapid assessments to determine the impact of the incident, both on victims and building damage,” said Syafii on Thursday, 2 April 2026.

He admitted that his side was still receiving reports of one fatality and another victim in the process of treatment as of Thursday afternoon.

His side hopes that residents in the affected areas can feel safer and more comfortable with the full readiness of SAR personnel, as evacuation steps can be expedited if follow-up disasters occur.

According to him, a rapid response is very feasible, given that they utilise an integrated information system with BMKG and BNPB. Thus, every warning can be received directly through the command centre and forwarded to each unit in the field.

“We are carrying out our duties, conducting assessments on residents and the impact on buildings, especially in this case Basarnas is directly under the coordination of BNPB,” said Syafii.

It is known that previously a 7.6 magnitude earthquake had shaken the southwest region of Pulau Batang Dua, Ternate, and North Maluku. Meanwhile, the tremors were also felt in several areas such as Ternate, Manado, and Gorontalo with intensity up to IV MMI scale.

Subsequently, tsunami waves were briefly detected after the earthquake in several coastal areas, including West Halmahera at 0.30 metres, Bitung at 0.20 metres, and North Minahasa at 0.75 metres.

Finally, BMKG announced the end of the early tsunami warning at 09:56 WIB, allowing the joint SAR team to begin moving in to identify the affected areas.