Philippines lifts tsunami warning after strong earthquake

Manila [Philippines], December 3: The Philippines lifted its tsunami warning early on December 3, after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the south of the country, leading to coastal evacuations.
As of the morning of December 3, Philippine officials had not recorded any casualties or serious damage from the earthquake that occurred in the Mindanao region, although some residents reported damage to buildings, according to Reuters.
More than 500 aftershocks were recorded, while the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) urged people to be cautious when carrying out daily activities.
"The tsunami threat associated with this earthquake has now largely passed through the Philippines," Phivolcs said in a statement but advised people in threatened communities to heed government guidance. local.
Previously, the agency called on people living near the coast in Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces to move deeper inland.
The Philippine Coast Guard has placed all its ships and aircraft on alert for possible maneuvering.
Philvolcs said the earthquake occurred at 10:37 p.m. on December 2 (local time) in the southeastern sea of ​​this country, with an intensity of 7.4 on the Richter scale and the epicenter at a depth of 25 km.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the largest aftershock had an intensity of 6.5 on the Richter scale.
Philvolcs' monitoring station in Hinatuan-Bislig Bay recorded maximum sea waves of 0.64 meters due to the earthquake. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the country's Hachijojima island, about 290 kilometers south of Tokyo, recorded waves as high as 40 centimeters.
Earthquakes frequently occur in the Philippines, a country located on the "Ring of Fire", a term for a chain of volcanoes hugging the Pacific Ocean that is sensitive to seismic activity.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper