MANILA: A powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of at least 7.5, has struck Mindanao in the southern Philippines, leading to evacuation orders in certain areas and issuing tsunami warnings for both the Philippines and southwestern Japanese coasts.
The Philippine Seismology Agency, Phivolcs, indicated that tsunami waves could hit the Philippines by midnight (1600 GMT) and continue for hours. The US Tsunami Warning System warned of waves of up to 3 meters above the tide level along some Philippine coasts, emphasizing the need for boats at sea to stay offshore in deep waters.
Phivolcs urged residents near the coast of Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces to evacuate immediately or move farther inland to avoid potential tsunami impact. While the agency did not expect significant damage from the earthquake itself, it cautioned about possible aftershocks.
Tsunami Warning for Japan
Japan’s NHK reported that tsunami waves, up to a meter in height, were expected to reach Japan’s southwestern coast around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday).
The earthquake’s epicenter is near the coastal town of Hinatuan, where power outages have been reported since the quake struck. As of now, there have been no reports of casualties or significant damage.
Earthquakes are frequent in the Philippines due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a volcanic belt encircling the Pacific Ocean known for seismic activity. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a magnitude of 7.5 at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), while the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 7.6 with a depth of 32 km (20 miles).
