A powerful offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck off the southern Philippines on Friday morning, prompting authorities to issue tsunami warnings and order evacuations from coastal areas.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the quake’s epicenter was located about 62 kilometers southeast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. The agency said it expected possible damage and aftershocks in the affected areas.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu cautioned that hazardous waves could occur within 300 kilometers of the epicenter. It warned that tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) above normal tide levels could reach parts of the Philippine coast, while smaller waves might affect Indonesia and Palau.
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Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said tsunami waves could reach six coastal provinces, including Davao Oriental, within two hours of the earthquake, which struck at 9:43 a.m. local time.
“We urge coastal communities to stay alert and immediately move to higher ground until further notice,” Alejandro said during a video briefing. He also advised boat owners and fishermen to secure their vessels and stay away from shorelines.
In neighboring Indonesia, authorities issued tsunami alerts for the northeastern regions of Papua and North Sulawesi, around 275 kilometers from the quake’s epicenter. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency urged residents to avoid beaches and riverbanks.
The quake struck as the Philippines continues to recover from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30 that killed at least 74 people and displaced thousands in Cebu province, particularly in Bogo city and surrounding towns.
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Located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the Philippines frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country is also hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, keeping disaster preparedness a constant national challenge.
Source: AP