Article by Viory
At least one was killed as a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Thursday.
According to reports, the epicentre was spotted at a depth of 62 kilometres (38 miles) in Molucca Sea off Ternate, with strong shakes felt across Manado and nearby Bitung.
Footage shows patients and medical staff rushing out of Sentra Medika Hospital in Manado as well as later returning back inside. Responders were seen clearing debris at damaged buildings sites, including the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) office.
“There are several buildings that were hit. The worst damage is behind me; it even struck residents. There are fatalities. One victim is Desy Layah, aged 70,” Nuriadi Gumerang, National Search and Rescue Agency spokesperson, said.
He advised residents to ‘remain vigilant’, especially those living in coastal areas to be prepared to evacuate unless authorities lift the warning.
“We were there when the earthquake hit. We’d only been there for about three or five minutes when the building collapsed. We managed to get out of the house, and about three meters away, someone was buried under the rubble,” Rasyid Poli, an eyewitness, shared.
Earlier authorities issued a tsunami warning shortly after the quake, but it was later lifted.
So far, at least 25 aftershocks have been recorded, keeping emergency teams on high alert as they continue to assess damage and monitor the risk of further seismic activity.
Article by Viory
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