Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued an early tsunami warning for northeastern coastal areas following a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines. The earthquake struck the waters in the southern Philippines, with the epicenter southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani Province on Mindanao Island.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology confirmed the tectonic earthquake at a depth of 33 km, prompting a tsunami warning for nine coastal provinces. Residents were urged to evacuate to higher ground immediately. The first tsunami waves were expected to hit on Monday morning and persist for hours.
Local reports mentioned building damage and power outages due to the earthquake, with tremors felt in nearby provinces. Although there were no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties in Indonesia or the Philippines, areas near the epicenter felt strong tremors. The Philippines, located in a seismically active region, often experiences earthquakes due to its position along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
Japan’s weather agency also issued tsunami advisories for coastal areas from Ibaraki Prefecture to Okinawa after the earthquake in the Philippines.
