Manado, N. Sulawesi. A mild tsunami measuring 17 centimeters struck the Talaud Islands in North Sulawesi on Friday morning following a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake centered in Mindanao, the Philippines, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

“The Manado Geophysics Station recorded tsunami waves reaching 17 centimeters,” said Toni Wijaya, head of BMKG’s Manado office. “Although the height was not significant and matched our earlier projections, the wave’s force was still quite strong.”

No major damage or casualties were reported, according to local authorities and the regional disaster management agency (BPBD).

The undersea quake struck at 8:43 a.m. local time (01:43 GMT) and initially triggered a tsunami warning for several areas in North Sulawesi and Papua. BMKG later downgraded the magnitude to 7.4 and lifted the tsunami warning after monitoring conditions stabilized.

Residents in the nearby Sangihe and Talaud islands described strong tremors lasting up to one minute, prompting people to rush outdoors.

“The shaking was quite intense and lasted about a minute. I immediately went outside to avoid any potential danger,” said Joffre Dalita, secretary of Tahuna Barat subdistrict in Sangihe, as quoted by the state news agency Antara.

Dalita added that the quake’s epicenter, located northwest of Karatung Island in Talaud Regency, caused visible swaying of power poles and buildings. “Since we live near the coast, we were on alert for a possible tsunami. When BMKG announced the warning was lifted, we were relieved,” he said.

A resident of Melonguane, the capital of Talaud, also described the moment the tremor hit. “I was getting ready for work when suddenly several objects in my house started shaking,” said Alwina Inang.

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