M 7.7 Sulut earthquake: Tsunami warning applies to several areas of Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Kaltim

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has urged people in a number of coastal areas of Sulawesi, North Maluku (Sulut), and East Kalimantan to increase their vigilance following a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that shook the Sulawesi Sea on Monday, June 8 morning.

The earthquake occurred at 06.37 WIB with the center in the sea, northwest of Karatung Island, North Sulawesi, at a depth of 47 kilometers. Following the incident, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an update on the tsunami early warning for a number of coastal areas in North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, North Maluku, to East Kalimantan.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, asked the public to remain calm and immediately follow the instructions of officers according to the level of threat in their respective regions.

"BNPB appeals to the public in potentially affected areas to immediately take anticipatory steps according to the level of threat in their respective areas, remain calm, and follow the instructions of officers and official information from BMKG. The safety of the community is the top priority in this situation," said Abdul Muhari.

Based on the results of the BMKG tsunami modeling, a number of areas were designated in the Alert status. The local government in the region was asked to immediately direct the public to evacuate in an orderly manner to higher and safer locations.

The Alert status area includes a number of areas in North Sulawesi, including the Sangihe Islands, Manado City, North Minahasa, Minahasa, Minahasa Islands, northern South Minahasa, and northern Bolaang Mongondow.

A similar status also applies to the northern Gorontalo region, Buol and Toli-Toli Regency in Central Sulawesi, as well as a number of other areas that are potentially affected by tsunami waves.

Meanwhile, a number of other areas are in the Alert category. BNPB asked people in the area to stay away from coastal areas and riverbanks and temporarily stop activities in the waters until the condition is declared safe.

The areas that fall into the Alert category include the Talaud Islands, Bitung City, Halmahera, North Donggala, South Minahasa, Ternate City, Tidore City, East Kutai, Bulungan, and Nunukan.

Abdul Muhari also reminded the public not to be tempted by unverified information and only refer to official information from BMKG, BNPB, local governments, and field officers.

"We remind the public not to easily believe in unverified information. Make sure all the information you receive comes from official government sources and authorized institutions," he said.

BNPB stated that the conditions on the ground were still safe and under control. Based on the initial report from the Control and Operations Center (Pusdalops) of the Talaud Islands Regency BPBD and the Manado City BPBD, the earthquake tremors were only felt weakly for about two to three seconds.

Until this news was released, there were no reports of casualties or damage due to the earthquake. The BPBD team in the affected area is still conducting intensive monitoring to ensure the development of the situation in coastal areas.

BNPB also continues to strengthen coordination with BPBD, TNI, Polri, Basarnas, volunteers, and other related elements to ensure preparedness and public safety in the event of any further impacts due to the earthquake.