Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 strikes Philippines, tsunami warning issued

The southern Philippines island of Mindanao experienced an earthquake on Saturday with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5, leading to the issuance of a tsunami warning.

The seismic event occurred at 10:37 pm (local time) and was measured at a moderate depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles), reported The Associated Press.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, considering the magnitude and location, anticipated the possibility of tsunami waves affecting the southern Philippines, as well as portions of Indonesia, Palau, and Malaysia.

Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology Seismology told The Associated Press his agency advised residents along the coast of southern Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces to evacuate immediately to higher grounds.

Based on the quake’s magnitude, he said a 1-meter (3.2-foot) tsunami may hit but the wave could be higher in coves and bays.

The Philippines experiences regular earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

With inputs from AP