Source : Perth Now news
Tsunami warnings have been issued after an earthquake struck off Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) put the magnitude at 8.2 and issued a tsunami warning. It urged people in coastal areas to move to safety immediately.
The quake struck at a depth of 10km on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said.
There were no immediate reports of major damage in either country.
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat after the earthquake.
Phivolcs warned of damage and tsunami waves above one metre, which could continue for several hours.
Indonesia’s BMKG put the quake at a 7.7 magnitude.
Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani in the Philippines, said the police building had some cracks immediately after the quake, which occurred during their flag-raising ceremony.
Ancheta said there were no immediate reports of casualties, but some people fainted following the strong tremor.
“This is the strongest earthquake we’ve experienced,” Ancheta told Reuters by phone.
Witnesses in Indonesia’s northern city of Manado said the quake felt very strong.
The Philippines and Indonesia are tectonically complex parts of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active belt stretching from South America to the Russian Far East.
with dpa
