The earthquake occurred at 10:37 pm local time, and was measured at a depth of 32 kilometers. There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that, based on the size and location of the shock, tsunami waves are expected to hit the southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia.
Japan’s seismic service also sounded the alarm about a tsunami. In the event of an earthquake near the coast, coastal residents sometimes have only fifteen minutes to reach safety, while in the case of shocks far from the sea, it may take several hours before the first tsunami reaches land.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) calculated that the magnitude of the earthquake in the Philippines reached 7.6 degrees, while the Philippine agency responsible for earthquake reports said that its magnitude reached 6.9 degrees.
The Philippine Seismological and Volcanological Institute advised residents along the coast of the southern provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental to immediately evacuate to higher ground. Depending on the size of the earthquake, a tidal wave as high as one meter can be generated, but in bays it can be pushed to much greater heights.
‘ring of fire’
The Philippines is regularly exposed to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.
Earlier in the day, earthquakes were also reported in the Babbar Islands, a group of islands in the Banda Sea that is part of the Moluccas, in Chile, in the western coastal region of Tarapaca, and in Bangladesh, a region in the southeast.
The magnitude of these earthquakes ranged between 5.5 and 5.8. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
