Manila, Oct 10: An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Davao Oriental province in the Mindanao region of the Philippines on Friday morning, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
The earthquake occurred at 9:43 a.m. local time (0143 GMT), with a depth of 10 kilometers, approximately 62 kilometers east of the town of Manay. Initially, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the quake at a magnitude of 7.4, but PHIVOLCS later revised it to 7.6.
Following the quake, PHIVOLCS issued a warning that tsunami waves could be expected for several hours, and aftershocks are likely to occur. The US Tsunami Warning System also issued a threat, alerting that hazardous tsunami waves could affect coastlines within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the earthquake’s epicenter.
Teresito Bacolcol, the chief of PHIVOLCS, stated that his agency would continue to monitor the situation closely and would issue a formal tsunami warning as needed. In response to the threat, one-meter waves were forecast along the Pacific coast of the Philippines in the next two hours.
Residents in coastal areas within the affected zone were advised to evacuate immediately to higher ground or move farther inland as a precaution.
As of now, no significant reports of damage have been received, but authorities continue to assess the situation.
The Philippines, located along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," experiences frequent seismic activity due to its positioning in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.
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