(Manila) A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Mindanao, in the south of the Philippines, on Saturday, the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS) announced, with authorities calling on the population to move away from coastal regions facing a risk of a “destructive tsunami”.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 32 km at 10:37 p.m. (9:37 a.m. Eastern Time) about 21 km northeast of Hinatuan, the USGS said.
“A destructive tsunami is expected with wave heights posing a threat to lives,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said on X.
He advised residents of Surigao South and Davao Oriental provinces to “immediately evacuate” further inland or to higher terrain. Boat owners were called to secure their boats.
PHOTO HINATUAN LGU, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Residents evacuate the Surigao del Sur region,
Aftershocks, including one reaching magnitude 6.4, then continued to shake the region, according to the USGS.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but police officer Joseph Lambo in Hinatuan said the earthquake was “very strong.”
“People are evacuating because of the tsunami warning,” he said, adding that 45,000 residents had been ordered to leave their homes and many of them were trying to reach higher ground. , on foot or by car.
“We panicked”
“Home appliances fell from shelves in the police office and two televisions were broken. The motorcycles parked outside also fell,” Mr. Lambo continued.
Dyl Constantino, 25, was on the island of Siargo, northeast of Mindanao, when the earthquake struck.
“It was the longest and strongest earthquake I have ever experienced, it probably lasted almost four minutes,” he assured AFP.
“We are all used to earthquakes, but this one was different because the doors were really shaking and we all panicked,” he added.
Bethanie Valledor, 24, was sleeping in a hotel complex in the town of Bislig, about twenty kilometers southwest of Hinatuan, when the earthquake startled her awake.
“I had the impression that the room we were in was going to be destroyed,” the young woman told AFP.
“Our house is very close to the sea. The owner of the complex asked us to evacuate immediately. Honestly, I was screaming. I panicked “.
In Davao City, the coast is closely monitored.
“The tide is still high and we don’t notice anything unusual,” said Anna Quinones, a natural disaster official who monitors tsunami risk.
Earthquakes occur daily in the Philippines, as the archipelago is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan to the Pacific Basin through Asia from the South-East.
Most are too faint to be felt by humans.
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake already struck the Mindanao island region on November 17, killing at least nine people.