Tsunami warning for Philippines and Indonesia after 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Mindanao | Earthquakes
Following the powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Mindanao on Friday morning, a tsunami warning was issued for the neighboring regions of the Philippines and Indonesia.
The US Tsunami Warning System and the Philippine seismological agency issued tsunami warnings for coasts located up to 300 km (186 miles) from the quake’s epicenter in the southern Philippines, saying dangerous tsunami waves were possible.
The Philippine seismology office said damage and aftershocks were expected.
Footage shared on social media showed people crouching on the ground, supporting themselves on all fours to maintain their balance as the ground beneath them shook violently. Motorcycles overturned due to the intensity of the earthquake.
People in the city of Tagum were also heard praying, saying “Save us, God” in videos posted on social media as the debris of a shopping mall fell around them.
Dozens of patients at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) were also seen fleeing the hospital building.
The governor of Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines said people panicked when the earthquake hit.
“Some buildings were reported damaged,” Edwin Jubahib told broadcaster DZMM. “It was very powerful.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that authorities were assessing the situation on the spot and search and rescue efforts were being prepared.
“We are working around the clock to ensure that aid reaches everyone who needs it,” Marcos said.
The Philippine Phivolcs agency said that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers in the waters off the town of Manay in the Mindanao region.
Neighboring Indonesia also issued a tsunami warning for parts of North Sulawesi and Papua, according to the geophysical agency.
The powerful earthquake occurred just ten days after a deadly 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Bogo City in Cebu province, killing 71 people. Aftershocks are still felt in the region.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and experiences more than 800 earthquakes every year. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center determined the earthquake’s magnitude as 7.4 and its depth as 58 km (36 miles).
*This is a developing story
