7.5 magnitude earthquake jolts Philippines, tsunami warnings issued

Late on Saturday, an earthquake with a minimum magnitude of 7.5 occurred in Mindanao, southern Philippines. Evacuation orders were issued for a portion of the region and the southwest coast of Japan due to the possibility of tsunami waves measuring at least one meter (3 feet).

The waves might reach the Philippines by midnight (1600 GMT), according to the Philippine Seismology Agency Phivolcs, and they might last for hours.

There could be waves up to three meters above the tide line along some Philippine coasts, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.

“Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised,” Phivolcs said, asking people living near the coast of Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces to “immediately evacuate” or “move farther inland”.

As for Japan’s southwest coast, the Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that tsunami waves as high as one meter were predicted to arrive by 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday), approximately thirty minutes later.

Saturday’s earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines, was recorded by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at a magnitude of 7.5. The depth of the earthquake was 63 km (39 miles) according to EMSC.

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