Indonesia Tsunami Follows 7.3 Earthquake, Alerts For More Large Waves

A small tsunami was triggered in Indonesia, after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit the region Saturday, without any casualties reported. The tsunami, which was nearly four inches, hit the island of Jailolo but did not cause any damage to people or property.

A second 6.2 magnitude earthquake had also been monitored off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the BBC reported, citing the US Geological Survey. Authorities in the country had warned people to stay away from beaches, riverbanks and other low lying areas, in anticipation of a tsunami. The country’s disaster mitigation agency had also kept aircraft ready to react quickly in case of an emergency.

"It was strong," Regina Saerang, an eyewitness in Manado, said, according to Reuters, adding: "I felt it for about a minute. There was no damage but people on my street are pouring out of our houses."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said that tsunamis were possible in countries including the Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands, following the quake. The first waves, which may not be very strong, will reach land within 30 minutes of the earthquake, Reuters reported.

Indonesia lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific basin, which witnesses constant earthquakes, The Associated Press reported. In 2004, a major earthquake that started off on the tip of the Sumatra Island, had led to tsunami, which killed nearly 230,000 people.