Powerful Earthquake Strikes Off Coast Of Philippines

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck off the coast of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao on Saturday (December 2) night. The epicenter of the quake was in the Philippine Sea near the southern island of Mindanao at a depth of roughly 20 miles.

After the quake, authorities issued a tsunami warning for Indonesia, Palau, and Malaysia and urged people living near the coast to evacuate to higher ground immediately. The warning said that tsunami waves were possible within 650 miles of the epicenter.

While officials predicted waves of three to nine feet in the Philippines and one to three feet in Palau, the threat passed with no reports of a tsunami.

There are no reports of injuries or damage due to the quake. However, the streets were inundated with people as they tried to find shelter on higher ground.

A tsunami alert was also issued in Japan, but a tsunami was not reported.