Mindanao (TDI): A powerful earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Sunday, triggering tsunami warnings across several countries and sending coastal residents scrambling for higher ground.
The quake hit shortly before 7:40am local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. The US National Tsunami Warning Center, which downgraded the initial magnitude estimate from 8.2 to 7.8, said the quake posed no threat to coastal areas of the US.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that waves as high as 3 meters can strike coastal areas of the Philippines, with waves of up to 1 meter possible in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan issued alerts warning of potentially hazardous waves and urged citizens in coastal areas to move to safety immediately.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) called for the immediate evacuation of people in coastal areas of nine provinces, including Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu.
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PHIVOLCS advised boat owners in harbors, estuaries, and shallow coastal waters of the affected provinces to secure their boats and clear the waterfront, while vessels already at sea were instructed to remain offshore in deep waters until further notice.
The Philippines sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically volatile arc where tectonic plates collide, making the country one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations.
Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island with a population of over 25 million, has historically borne the brunt of major tremors in the Philippine archipelago.
Authorities across the region urged the public not to return to coastal areas. The full scale of damage, if any, was not yet known as emergency services mobilized and governments monitored wave activity along vulnerable shorelines.
