Jakarta. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning early Friday after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast near Melonguane, North Sulawesi, at 8:43 a.m. Jakarta time (1:43 GMT).

In an official statement shared via its social media channels, BMKG said the epicenter of the quake was located at a depth of 56 kilometers, prompting an early tsunami advisory for North Sulawesi and nearby Papua.

“This information prioritizes speed, so the processed data may still change as more accurate information becomes available,” BMKG said in its initial bulletin.

Authorities urged residents in coastal areas to remain vigilant and follow official instructions while monitoring for potential tsunami waves.

The agency said further analysis is ongoing to determine whether the earthquake triggered significant sea level changes or aftershocks.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, one of the world’s most seismically active regions, where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur due to the convergence of multiple tectonic plates.