A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Friday, prompting widespread panic and tsunami warnings across coastal regions before authorities later declared the threat had passed.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially recorded the quake at a depth of 62 km (38 miles), while the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) revised the magnitude from 7.6 to 7.5 and placed the epicenter at a shallower 20 km (12 miles) beneath the sea off Manay town in Davao Oriental, Mindanao.
Initial Tsunami Fears
Following the tremor, the Phivolcs agency warned of a “destructive tsunami” that could generate life-threatening waves exceeding one meter above normal tide levels, particularly in bays and straits.
People living along Mindanao’s eastern coastline were urgently told to evacuate to higher ground.
The first tsunami waves were projected to arrive between 9:43 a.m. and 11:43 a.m. (local time), and the agency cautioned that wave activity could persist for several hours.
By early afternoon, the tsunami warning was lifted after no major surges were reported. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System and Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency had also issued alerts for nearby coastlines in North Sulawesi and Papua, which have since been cancelled.
Evacuations and Local Response
In Davao City, home to more than 5.4 million residents, schoolchildren were evacuated to open grounds as tremors rattled buildings and triggered brief power cuts.
Governor Edwin Jubahib of Davao del Norte reported infrastructural damage, while Ednar Dayanghirang from the Office of Civil Defense said a church and several buildings in Davao Oriental had suffered structural cracks.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured citizens that emergency response teams were already on the ground.
“We are working round the clock to ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it,” Marcos said in a statement, adding that search and rescue operations were underway.
Aftershocks and Ongoing Assessment
Authorities warned of aftershocks and advised residents to remain cautious. Phivolcs said its monitoring systems continue to track seismic activity in the region, which lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, one of the world’s most active earthquake belts.
The agency emphasized that even moderate quakes can trigger localized tsunamis or underwater landslides, especially in shallow coastal zones.
Recent Seismic Activity
The quake follows a 6.9-magnitude earthquake last week in Cebu province, which killed at least 74 people and caused extensive damage, including the collapse of the centuries-old Parish of Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Bantayan.
Experts warn that the recent tremors could indicate heightened regional seismic stress that may persist in the coming weeks.
