Philippine authorities warned of a risk of “devastating tsunami” and urged the population of coastal areas to move inland, after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake and at least two strong aftershocks shook the island of Mindanao, in the south of the archipelago. At this time, no casualties or damage have been reported.
(In context: Tsunami alert in five countries after a strong earthquake in the Philippines: they ask for evacuation).
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 32 kilometers around 10:37 p.m. local time (2:37 p.m. GMT), about 21 km northeast of the municipality of Hinatuan, in the province of Surigao del Sur, reported the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A few hours later, two strong aftershocks of magnitude 6.4 and 6.2 hit the region again, according to the same source..
The first tremor caused the authorities to issue a tsunami warning and ask the coastal population to move to higher areas. “A devastating tsunami is expected with life-threatening wave heights,” declared the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on the X social network.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (OTWC), located in Hawaii, also issued a warning, but later announced that it had been lifted. “There is no longer a tsunami threat due to this earthquake,” the OTWC said in a message released at 4:45 p.m. GMT. However, the Philippine Institute of Seismology remained alert.
He announced that waves of more than one meter above the average are expected to reach the coast, and urged the population of the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental to “immediately evacuate” the place to higher areas or further inland. . Boat owners were ordered to secure their vessels and move away from the coast.
Hinatuan Police Sergeant Joseph Lambo said 45,000 residents in the municipality were ordered to leave their homes.. Many headed on foot or in vehicles to higher areas.
“In the police station, devices fell from the shelves and two televisions were broken. The motorcycles parked outside also fell,” Lambo told AFP.
“We panicked”
A video shared on social media, and verified by AFP, shows bottles of drinks and other products falling from the shelves of a supermarket, as workers flee outside.
In other images, recorded by Dennis Orong, 26, people are seen shouting and running on a street in Lianga, the coastal municipality of Surigao del Sur. “I was shaking with fear, mainly because of the explosion of the electric poles,” he told AFP.
Dyl Constantino, 25, was on the island of Siargao, in northeastern Mindanao, when the shaking occurred: “It was the longest and strongest earthquake I have ever experienced, it probably lasted about four minutes,” he told AFP. . “We’re used to earthquakes here, but this one was different because the doors really shook and we all panicked,” he continued.
Bethanie Valledor, 24, was sleeping in a hotel in the town of Bislig, about 20 km southwest of Hinatuan, when the tremor woke her up. “I felt like the room we were staying in was going to be destroyed,” she told AFP. “We are very close to the sea. The hotel owner asked us to evacuate immediately. Honestly, he was screaming. I panicked,” she explained.
An M7.6 earthquake just hit off the coast of Philippines raising concern about major tsunami events.
This is a video captured in Surigao Del Sur in Mindanao.
The energy of that magnitude is devastating.pic.twitter.com/blPSlK3qX8
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 2, 2023
The earthquake occurs almost two weeks after another 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Mindanao, causing at least nine deaths. Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which is located along the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that extends from Japan to Southeast Asia and the Pacific basin.
Most are too weak and not felt, but strong, devastating earthquakes occur randomly and there is no technology available to predict when and where they will occur.
AFP
#Videos #Earthquake #Philippines #moments #panic #tsunami #alert