Powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Philippines, prompts tsunami warning

Manila, Philippines — A 7.4 magnitude earthquake Friday morning off the southern Philippines killed at least two people, damaged a hospital and schools, knocked out power and prompted the evacuation of nearby coastal areas due to a possible tsunami.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., facing his latest natural disaster after a previous deadly earthquake and consecutive storms, said potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared and would be deployed when it was safe to do so.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it expected damage and aftershocks from the quake, which occurred offshore about 27 miles east of Manay city in eastern Davao province and was caused by movement in the Philippine Trench at a depth of 14 miles. But it canceled its tsunami alert.

At least two people died after being trapped in damaged houses in Davao Oriental, provincial Governor Nelson Dayanghirang Sr. told ABS-CBN News Channel, adding that about 250 patients had been evacuated from a damaged hospital and would be temporarily housed in tents.

Bureau of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said several buildings had cracks in their walls, including an international airport in Davao City, but it remained operational with no flights canceled, Alejandro said.

“I was driving my car when it suddenly rolled over and I saw the power lines swinging wildly. People rushed out of houses and buildings as the ground shook and the electricity went out,” Jun Saavedra, a disaster mitigation officer in Governor Generoso City in Davao Oriental, told The Associated Press by cell phone.

“We’ve had earthquakes in the past, but this one was the strongest,” Saavedra said, adding that the intense ground oscillations caused cracks in several buildings, including a high school from where about 50 students were taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering bruises, fainting or dizziness from the quake.

Governor Generoso is a town about 100 km south of Manay, where classes at all levels have also been suspended.

Wes Caasi, a local official in the town of Tagum, northwest of Manay, told French news agency AFP that a government event at town hall was thrown into chaos as “people panicked, they screamed and ran.”

Caasi said he saw city workers climb down from a 202-meter-tall metal Christmas tree that they were decorating when the quake struck.

Other witnesses said they saw students and workers leaving schools, office buildings and shopping centers.

Children evacuated schools in Davao City, which has about 5.4 million people and is the largest city near the epicenter, about 250 kilometers west of Davao Oriental province.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said small waves were detected on the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia before the threat subsided, about two hours after the quake. It said small sea fluctuations could continue.

Alejandro warned that tsunami waves could hit six coastal provinces neighboring Davao Oriental up to two hours after the earthquake at 9:43 a.m. “We urge these coastal communities to be on alert and immediately evacuate to higher areas until further notice,” Alejandro said during a video press briefing.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said small tsunami waves were detected in North Sulawesi province, with heights ranging from 1.3 to 6.7 inches in Melonguane, Beo, Essang and Ganalo, Talaud Islands districts.

The Philippines are still recovering from the September 30 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 that left at least 74 dead and displaced thousands in the central province of Cebu, particularly in Bogo City and outlying towns.

The archipelago is also hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making disaster response a major task for government and volunteer groups.

Also on Friday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered in the Bismarck Sea, 257 miles northeast of Lae, the second most populous city in this South Pacific island nation.

Lae police chief Mary Jane Huafilong said no damage had been reported.