Strong earthquake hits the Philippines, tsunami warning issued

(Patria) - An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck the southern Philippines, the Philippine seismological agency announced, issuing a tsunami warning, which was also issued in Indonesia after the earthquake.

The Philippine seismological agency issued a tsunami warning, advising residents in nearby coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground or further inland. The Phivolcs agency warned of damage and aftershocks following the strong offshore earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 10 km in the waters off the city of Manay in Davao Oriental in the Philippine region of Mindanao.

Phivolcs stated that waves higher than one meter above normal tides can be expected in the next two hours. There are no immediate reports of damage. Phivolcs said that wave heights of up to more than one meter above normal tides can be expected in the next two hours.

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning for its northern Sulawesi and Papua regions following the earthquake in the Philippines, the Indonesian geophysics agency said, predicting a risk of tsunami waves up to 50 cm hitting Indonesia's coasts.