Philippines Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Alert in Indonesia's Minahasa-Manado Regions

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the southern Mindanao coast of the Philippines on Monday morning, prompting tsunami warnings for several Indonesian regions. The quake occurred at 6:37 AM Western Indonesian Time (WIB), with its epicenter located in the sea 244 kilometers northwest of Karatung Island in North Sulawesi, at a depth of 47 kilometers.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a "SIAGA" (alert) status for potential tsunamis in numerous coastal areas, including Minahasa, Bolaangmongondow, Manado City, North Minahasa, South Minahasa, Buol, Sangihe Islands, Gorontalo, Talaud Islands, Minahasa Islands, Toli-toli, Palu City, Donggala, Ternate City, and Bitung City. A "WASPADA" (watch) status was also declared for other areas like Tidore City, Bulungan, Nunukan, Halmahera, Tarakan City, North Halmahera, East Kutai, South Minahasa, Bontang City, and Berau.

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The modeling results indicate that this earthquake has the potential for a tsunami with an ALERT status in Minahasa, Bolaangmongondow, Manado City, North Minahasa, South Minahasa, Buol, Sangihe Islands, Gorontalo, Talaud Islands, Minahasa Islands, Toli-toli, Palu City, Donggala, Ternate City, Bitung City.

BMKG reported monitoring one aftershock with a magnitude of 6.7 as of 7:00 AM WIB. The agency stressed the importance of relying solely on official BMKG channels for verified information regarding the earthquake and tsunami threat, urging the public to disregard unverified sources.

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And a WATCH status in Tidore City, Bulungan, Nunukan, Halmahera, Tarakan City, North Halmahera, East Kutai, South Minahasa, Bontang City, and Berau.