Terrifying 7.3 earthquake sparks panic as it strikes Indonesia

Terrifying 7.3 earthquake sparks panic as it strikes near Indonesian tourist hotspot

  • A major earthquake struck the remote Maluku islands in Indonesia today
  • Panicked residents were seen rushing through the streets in horrifying scenes
  • The national disaster agency said the it posed no potential to cause a tsunami
  • But terrified residents still fled to higher ground to escape the perceived danger 

A terrifying 7.3-magnitude earthquake has sparked panic after it rocked the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia today.

Scared residents were seen fleeing through the streets and heading for high ground, though no tsunami warning was issued after the land-based quake struck.

The earthquake hit around 100 miles south-southwest of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province at 6.28pm local time, at a depth of 6 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Hundreds were seen rushing from a mall in Ternate in terror, while other videos showed people speeding through the roads on motorbikes. 

Terrified residents were seen pouring from a mall in the capital of Ternate after the 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Sunday evening local time 

Hundreds of people poured down the steps to the mall on the island’s capital on Sunday evening

The earthquake hit around 100 miles south-southwest of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province at 6.28pm local time, at a depth of 6 miles, according to the US Geological Survey

‘The earthquake was quite strong, sending residents to flee outside, they are panicking and many are now waiting on the roadside,’ local disaster mitigation official Mansur told AFP.

Officials were assessing the situation but there were no immediate reports of casualties, Mansur said.

Ikhsan Subur, a local disaster agency official in Labuha, the closest town to the epicentre, said several hundred people who were afraid of aftershocks fled to temporary shelters near government offices and mosques, and some ran to higher ground. 

The province was also hit by a 6.9-magnitude tremor last week but no extensive damage was reported.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, where tectonic plates collide.

Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 people with another thousand declared missing.

On December 26, 2004, a devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia. 

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