Philippine authorities issued a warning of a “destructive tsunami” on Saturday, December 2, and urged the population to move inland after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the island of Mindanao, in the south of the archipelago.
“A destructive tsunami is expected, with wave heights posing a threat to life,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said on X.
He advised residents of Surigao Southern and Davao Oriental provinces to “immediately evacuate inland or to higher ground.”
Tsunami alarm in Japan
The earthquake struck at a depth of 32 kilometers at 10:37 p.m. (3:37 p.m. Paris time) at a distance of about 21 kilometers northeast of Hinatuan, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
According to Agence France-Presse, no injuries or damage were initially reported.
A tsunami warning has been issued on Japan’s west coast following a severe earthquake in the Philippines, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Earthquakes occur daily in the Philippines because the archipelago lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity along tectonic plates in the Pacific basin. Most are too weak to be noticed by humans.
On November 17th, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the island region of Mindanao, killing at least nine people.
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