A huge earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit off the coast of a southern Philippine province on Friday morning. According to an Associated Press article, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned of damage and aftershocks that were likely to happen because the quake was located at sea.
A fault moving caused the shallow quake, which was only 10 kilometers deep. The epicenter was around 62 kilometers southeast of the town of Manay in the Philippines’ Davao Oriental region. The quake happened at 9:43 a.m. local time.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Pacific region.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, sent out a warning about dangerous waves after a lot of earthquakes.
Wave Hazard: The Center said that dangerous tsunami waves are anticipated to be within 300 kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.
Wave Height: Some areas in the Philippines could see tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) higher than average tides. Indonesia and Palau were expected to have lower waves.
Philippine Evacuation: Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, the Deputy Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said that tsunami waves might impact six surrounding coastal provinces from Davao Oriental for up to two hours after the earthquake. He strongly urged people to leave all coastal regions and evacuate to higher ground or further inland right now.
Reports of fear and evacuations: Social media instantly propagated reports of panic and huge evacuations during and right after the earthquake. HT.com couldn’t confirm that these videos were real on their own, but they said they showed:
Evacuation of the Hospital: One video shows a large-scale evacuation at what was said to be the Tagum City Davao Regional Medical Center. Patients (including those in wheelchairs) and personnel were observed running out of the building. Some people even sought temporary shelter on the side of the road while clutching onto trees. There were also children among the people who had to leave.
Street terror: Another video, said to be from Butuan City in Mindanao, showed people running out into the streets, where screams and general terror could be heard. The camera and everything around it were clearly shaking.
After the earthquake, people who worked at a mall in Davao City were also seen flocking outside the building.