Tsunami Warning Status from Bitung M7.6 Earthquake Declared Over

The Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has declared the end of the tsunami early warning status caused by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Bitung.

“The early TSUNAMI warning caused by the mag:7.6 earthquake on 02-Apr-26 at 05:48:16 WIB has been declared over,” said Acting Director of Earthquakes and Tsunami at BMKG, Rahmat Triyono, in a brief message to CNNIndonesia on Thursday (2/4).

A tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 rocked the sea area southeast of Bitung City, North Sulawesi Province, on Thursday (2/4) at 05:48 WIB.

The shaking was felt very strongly for 10 to 20 seconds in Bitung City and surrounding areas, and strongly in Ternate City, North Maluku Province, causing panic among residents who fled their homes.

One place of worship (church) in Pulau Batang Dua Subdistrict was reported to be affected, and two houses in Ganbesi Ward, South Ternate Subdistrict, sustained damage. Meanwhile, in Bitung City, data collection is still ongoing by the local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

Previously, based on monitoring of the early warning system, tsunami waves with relatively small heights were detected, namely around 0.3 metres in West Halmahera at 06:08 WIB and 0.2 metres in Bitung at 06:15 WIB.

Although relatively small, this condition still requires vigilance because the potential for follow-up waves remains possible.