Philippines earthquake kills 15 people and raises tsunami fears: Everything you need to know | Earthquake news

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck the southern Philippines off the island of Mindanao, creating tsunami risks in several countries. It is feared that at least 15 people have died as a result of the earthquakes.

Here’s everything we know about the earthquake and its immediate aftermath:

Where did the earthquake strike in the Philippines?

The quake occurred early in the morning, shortly before 7:40 a.m. local time on Monday (23:40 GMT on Sunday), according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the earthquake was offshore, 32 kilometers west of Maasim in Sarangani province on the southern tip of the Philippine island of Mindanao. The earthquake occurred at an estimated depth of 33 kilometers (21 miles).

Schools were reopened in the Philippines after a long break, and the tremors were strongly felt in dozens of provinces 420 kilometers (261 miles) away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

By late morning local time, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported 138 aftershocks, with the highest magnitude reaching 6.7.

What do we know about casualties and damages?

The Philippine authorities are assessing the damage caused by the earthquake, and the Civil Defense Office is seeking to verify initial reports that 15 people were killed and 129 others were injured, most of them due to falling debris.

The full extent of the damage is not yet clear.

Where are tsunami hazards?

Tsunami warnings were issued in the southern Philippines, northern Indonesia and the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning and said a tsunami of 0.2 meters (8 inches) or less had been detected, with some disruption to ferries and a precautionary beach closure.

The tsunami warning system in the United States said that several countries might be affected, and Australia initially warned of the possibility of tsunami waves on its northern coast.

Witnesses in Manado, Indonesia, said they felt the earthquake strongly. Only minor damage was reported, according to Abdul Mahari, spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency.

A tsunami with wave heights of up to 0.75 meters (2.5 feet) was detected in some areas in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, as people began moving to safer areas, including residents of the remote Sanjehi Islands, among the closest to the Philippines.

“They are now evacuating residents to higher areas… away from the coast to avoid a possible tsunami,” resident Joffrey Dalita was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying.

How are the authorities in the Philippines responding?

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered an immediate response to the disaster in Mindanao, an island the size of South Korea, while directing agencies to prepare relief supplies and evacuation centers and prepare for possible rescue operations.

“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” he said in a statement.

A video posted by the local government in General Santos City in Mindanao, with a population of about 700,000 people, showed the collapse of a building housing a fast food restaurant, with terrified onlookers fleeing as a cloud of dust quickly spread into the air.

A General Santos hospital was evacuated due to fears of cracks on the upper floors, while a building at the city’s Dadiangas Notre Dame University collapsed, but no one was inside.

“I had to bend down and take cover under the table. It was very tall and strong,” university president Manuel de Leon told DZMM radio.

Photos from authorities in Sarangani province showed destroyed storefronts, collapsed signs, smashed windows and piles of rocks from crumbled concrete.

The Philippine Army said disaster response units have been deployed to the affected areas.

A video clip posted by a local school at the moment of the earthquake showed a large group of children sitting on the ground and swaying quickly from side to side, some of them hugging teachers, before they fled en masse after a temporary shelter collapsed behind them.

Benji Ancheta, police chief of Alabile town in Sarangani, said the earthquake occurred during a police flag-raising ceremony, causing some people to faint.

“This is the strongest earthquake we have ever seen,” Ancheta said by phone.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government is ready to help the Philippines.

Anwar posted on the X website: “I pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected, and I wish them strength and courage in the difficult days ahead.”

Is the Philippines vulnerable to earthquakes?

The latest quake comes eight months after the Philippines suffered its largest earthquake in 12 years, when a 6.9-magnitude quake struck off the island of Cebu, killing 79 people. Two powerful earthquakes struck the island of Mindanao two weeks later, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 7.4.

The Philippines and Indonesia are hit by hundreds of earthquakes every year and are located on tectonically complex parts of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active belt that extends from South America to the Russian Far East.

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