A seismic event measuring 7.5 in magnitude struck Mindanao, Philippines, on Saturday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), occurring at a depth of 63 km (39 miles). Anticipated tsunamis were poised to impact both the Philippines and Japan imminently.
The Philippine Seismology Agency PHIVOLCS indicated that tsunami waves might reach the Philippines by midnight local time (1600 GMT), persisting for several hours.
The Japanese broadcaster NHK reported expectations of tsunami waves up to a meter (3 feet) high reaching Japan’s western coast slightly later, around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday).
The US Geological Survey recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.6, with a depth of 32 km (20 miles), indicating that it occurred at 10:37 p.m. (1437 GMT).
In the preceding month, an offshore earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7 in the southern Philippines resulted in the loss of eight lives.
Casualties from the earthquake on November 17 were reported in Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Davao Occidental provinces. Thirteen individuals sustained injuries during the tremor, causing widespread panic and inflicting damage on over 50 houses and various other structures.
The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes, given its location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” characterized by the U.S. Geological Survey as the “most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.”