Philippines — An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit off a southern Philippine province on Friday morning, prompting officials to order villagers to evacuate nearby coastal provinces due to a possible tsunami.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the potential damage was being assessed, adding that 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 the earthquake, caused by movement in a fault at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles), was centred at sea about 62 kilometres (38 miles) southeast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province. Authorities are expecting damage and aftershocks.

Children were evacuated from schools in Davao city, home to about 5.4 million people and the largest city near the epicentre, located roughly 250 kilometres (155 miles) west of Davao Oriental province.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said hazardous waves were possible within 300 kilometres (186 miles) of the epicentre. Waves up to 3 metres (10 feet) above normal tides could occur on some Philippine coasts, with smaller waves possible in Indonesia and Palau.

Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV warned that tsunami waves could hit six nearby coastal provinces from Davao Oriental up to two hours after the earthquake struck at 9:43 a.m. He urged residents to move immediately to higher ground or further inland away from coastal areas.

“We urge these coastal communities to be on alert and immediately evacuate to higher grounds until further notice,” Alejandro said in a video news briefing.

“Owners of boats in harbours and those in the coastal areas…should secure their boats and move away from the waterfronts,” he added.

Regional impact

Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning for northeastern regions of Papua and North Sulawesi, about 275 kilometres (170 miles) from the epicentre. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said residents in the area should remain aware and stay away from beaches and riverbanks.

The Philippines is still recovering from a September 30 earthquake of magnitude 6.9 that left at least 74 people dead and displaced thousands in the central province of Cebu, particularly in Bogo city and surrounding towns.

One of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the Philippines is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

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