Key events
Though the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said the tsunami threat from the earthquake has ended, small sea fluctuations may continue.
Small waves were detected on the Indonesian and Philippine coasts after Friday’s earthquake, with the highest recorded at 17cm above tide level in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province.
Meanwhile, damage from the earthquake is still being assessed.
“We’ve had earthquakes in the past, but this was the strongest,” Jun Saavedra, a disaster-mitigation officer of Governor Generoso town in Davao Oriental, told The Associated Press by cellphone.
Saavedra said that his town, located about 100 km south of Manay, experienced intense ground swaying – causing cracks in several buildings, including schools.
He added that at least 50 students from a high school in his town were brought to hospital by ambulance after either fainting or becoming dizzy due to the earthquake.
Tsunami warning lifted
The tsunami threat from the Philippines earthquake has passed, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “ring of fire” – an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through south-east Asia and across the Pacific basin.
The strong earthquake on Friday struck less than a fortnight after at least 74 people were killed in the aftermath of another 6.9 tremor on 30 September.
That incident in the country’s central Cebu province injured many others and displaced thousands, particularly in Bogo city and outlying towns.
There are no major reports of damage so far, but some photos are starting to filter through that show the impacts of dramatic shaking following the quake.
Schools were suspended in Davao City
Classes in all public and private schools in Davao City on the island of Mindanao were suspended after the earthquake.
Inquirer.net reports the local government made the order to “give way to the conduct of rapid damage assessment of infrastructures and facilities”.
Philippines president directs agencies to aid evacuations and provide help to ‘everyone who needs it’
Ferdinand Marcos, the president of the Philippines, said the government was working “round the clock” to ensure help reaches “everyone who needs it”.
He said in a statement:
We are now assessing the situation on the ground and ensuring that everyone is safe. … Search, rescue, and relief operations are already being prepared and will be deployed as soon as it is safe to do so.
Marcos said he had directed multiple agencies, including the armed forces and coast guard, to immediately carry out evacuations in coastal areas and to activate emergency communications lines.
Let us continue to look out for one another and pray for the safety of all our countrymen.
Images from the Philippines show people gathering in the open air in the wake of the shaking.
A map of the Philippines region where the earthquake struck
‘It was very strong’, governor of Philippine province says of the quake
Reuters reports the governor of the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental told a local broadcaster people panicked when the earthquake struck.
“Some buildings were reported to have been damaged,” Edwin Jubahib told broadcaster DZMM. “It was very strong.”
The strong quake came two weeks after the Philippines experienced its deadliest quake in more than a decade, with 72 people killed on the island of Cebu.That was a magnitude of 6.9 and also struck offshore.
Kate Lamb
A note on earthquake measurements
It is worth mentioning that different agencies often generate different readings of earthquakes immediately after the event, which are sometimes revised up or down in subsequent hours. Today the magnitude measurement of the Mindanao quake has fluctuated between 7.2 to 7.6, depending on the agency.
A bigger difference is, however, apparent in the recorded depth of today’s earthquake, with the Philippines Phivolcs agency saying it occurred at a depth of 10km, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the quake at a depth of 58 km.
We will continue to provide updates and clarification as they become available.
Tsunami warning center says hazardous waves possible within 300km of epicenter
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said hazardous waves were possible within 186 miles of the epicenter, the Associated Press reports.
It said waves up to 3 meters were possible on some Philippine coasts near the epicenter. Smaller waves were possible in Indonesia and Palau.
Strong aftershocks rattling region as officials warn large waves could strike in the next two hours
The quake struck about 62km from the town of Manay in the Mindanao region, at a shallow depth of about 10km. There are no immediate reports of damage, but officials in the Philippines have warned residents to expect waves above normal tides in the next two hours.
Multiple aftershocks – so far a 5.9 magnitude and 5.6 magnitude – have hit the same region in the last half hour.
Indonesia issues a tsunami warning for several regions
Indonesia has issued its own tsunami warning for North Sulawesi and the Papua regions, Reuters reports.
Agency warns of potentially destructive tsunami with ‘life threatening wave heights’
The Philippine Seismology Agency says a destructive tsunami “with life threatening wave heights” is expected.
Officials said based on a local tsunami scenario database, “it is expected to experience wave heights of more than one meter above the normal tides and may be higher on enclosed bays and straits”.
People in coastal areas of seven provinces are being urged to evacuate immediately to higher ground or move further inland. The affected areas include:
Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the earthquake in the Philippines. A quake measuring 7.4 has struck the Mindanao region, triggering a tsunami warning.
The Philippines seismology agency has warned of damage and aftershocks after the quake struck the southern island.
The agency said it strongly advises people in coastal towns in central and southern Philippines to immediately evacuate to higher ground.
We will follow the developments live.
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