The Philippine authorities issued an alert on Saturday, December 2, regarding a “destructive tsunami” and called on the population to move inland, after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Mindanao, in the south of the archipelago.
“A destructive tsunami is expected with waves whose height poses a threat to lives”said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on.
He advised residents of Surigao South and Davao Oriental provinces to“evacuate immediately” towards the interior or towards higher altitudes.
Tsunami alert in Japan
The earthquake occurred 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 said. (USGS).
According to Agence France-Presse, no injuries or damage were immediately reported.
A tsunami warning has been issued on the west coast of Japan following the major earthquake in the Philippines, announced the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Earthquakes occur daily in the Philippines, as the archipelago is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity along tectonic plates in the Pacific basin. 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.