Strong 7.6 quake jolts Mindanao, tsunami threat issued
A powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 7.6 struck off the southern Philippines on Friday, prompting tsunami warnings in several neighbouring countries and forcing coastal residents to flee to higher ground, officials said.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the undersea quake occurred off the coast of Manay town in Davao Oriental, part of the Mindanao region, at a depth of around 10 kilometres. Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and structural damage in affected areas.
Phivolcs urged residents in low-lying coastal towns across the central and southern Philippines to evacuate immediately, noting that tsunami waves exceeding one metre above normal tide levels could strike.
Neighbouring Indonesia also issued tsunami warnings for parts of northern Sulawesi and Papua, where waves up to 50 centimetres were expected. Meanwhile, the US Tsunami Warning System said hazardous waves could affect coastlines within 300 kilometres of the quake’s epicentre, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautioned that waves 1–3 metres high might hit parts of the Philippines, with Indonesia and Palau also at risk.
In Davao Oriental province, Governor Edwin Jubahib told local radio that residents panicked as the tremor hit, with some buildings reportedly damaged. “It was very strong,” he said.
Local officials in affected areas were still assessing the situation, as communication networks remained unstable.
The tremor struck just two weeks after the Philippines suffered its deadliest earthquake in more than a decade, when a 6.9-magnitude quake off Cebu island killed 72 people.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, one of the world’s most seismically active zones, and experiences over 800 earthquakes annually.
The European–Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the latest quake at magnitude 7.4 and 58 kilometres deep, slightly differing from local readings.
Reuters
