2023-12-02 22:19:58
The Pacific Tsunami Warning service lifted the tsunami alert in part of Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, this Saturday, after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in the east of that island.
“Based on all available information, the tsunami threat from this earthquake has ended,” said the US service, which records activity around the world.
“Stay alert and use caution if you are near the sea,” emphasizes the agency, which recorded variations of between 1 and 8 centimeters above the normal tide on the east coast of Mindanao.
The earthquake caused a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for the inhabitants of the island of Mindanao, the second largest in the archipelago.
The earthquake, which occurred at 10:37 p.m. local time at a depth of 32 kilometers, also forced the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a tsunami warning for the country’s western Pacific coast, according to local television station NHK.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that based on the magnitude and location of the earthquake, tsunami waves were expected to hit the southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia.
The Philippine Seismological Agency (Phivolcs) asked residents of the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental on the eastern coasts of Mindanao to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move inland, away from the coasts.
Phivolcs said the waves could reach the Philippines at midnight and could continue for hours.
“Ships already at sea during this period should remain offshore in deep water until further notice,” Phivolcs added.
For its part, the USGS of the United States located the epicenter of the powerful earthquake about 21 kilometers northeast of the municipality of Hinatuan, in the province of Surigao del Sur.
Raymark Gentallan, local police chief in the coastal city of Hinatuan, said there had been no electricity since the earthquake struck, but said disaster response teams had not yet recorded any casualties or damage.
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