7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Mindanao, officials warn of “devastating tsunami” – Release

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the island of Mindanao on Saturday, December 2, once again rocking the southern Philippines with a magnitude of 6.4, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Although no injuries or damage have been reported so far, Philippine authorities have issued a warning “Tsunami of Destruction” and the coastal provinces of Surigao Southern and Davao Oriental called on people to move inland or to more land.

Tsunami “Heights are expected with life-threatening waves”, X on (formerly Twitter) alerted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Evacuation orders were also issued for some areas near the coast of southwestern Japan where waves of one meter or more were expected.

The quake struck at a depth of 32 km at 10:37 p.m. local time (3:37 p.m. French time), about 21 km northeast of Hinatuan, the USGS said. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Mindanao on November 17, killing at least nine people. The island, which suffered several aftershocks after the powerful earthquake, is the second largest in the Philippine archipelago by area and population – it has 26,252,442 inhabitants or 24.08% of the country’s population.

Earthquakes occur daily in the Philippines because the archipelago sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia to the Pacific Basin. Most are too faint for humans to perceive.

Update: This Saturday, December 2, at 5:10 PM Tsunami Warning and Evacuation of Areas in Japan; A 6.4 earthquake struck at 5:55 p.m.