Tsunami warning as 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Philippines

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A 7.6 magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of the southern Philippines, triggering a tsunami warning.

The quake struck off the island of Mindanao at 10:37pm and was measured at a moderate depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it expected tsunami waves to hit the southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia.

A Philippine government agency advised the residents of living on the eastern coast Mindanao to immediately evacuate.

Residents described a “strong and long” shaking in their homes. One person living 146 kilometres from the epicentre wrote: “The shaking woke me up from sleep and it kept on going for what felt like forever. I could see my ceiling and walls shaking. Longest and strongest earthquake I’ve ever felt.”

The epicentre of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey

(USGS)

“I’m in Davao city. This one is stronger and longer than the last quake on November 17. Shaking side to side still,” another person said.

It comes after a huge 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the region on November 17.

There are often around 100-150 earthquakes that occur per year (with a magnitude of 4.0 and above) in the Philippines due to tectonic plates overlapping at convergent boundaries called subduction zones.

Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines and is home to about 26 million people. Davao City, the third-largest city in the Philippines, is on the coast of Mindanao.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.

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