MANILA, Philippines — A 7.4-magnitude earthquake Friday morning off the southern Philippines resulted in at least two fatalities, caused damage to a hospital and schools, interrupted power supply, and led to evacuations in coastal areas due to a potential tsunami threat.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., addressing another natural calamity following a previous earthquake and consecutive storms, stated that the potential damage was being evaluated, and that rescue teams along with relief operations were on standby, ready to be deployed when conditions permitted.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology anticipated both damage and aftershocks from the quake, which struck at sea approximately 43 kilometers (27 miles) east of Manay town in Davao Oriental province, resulting from movements in the Philippine Trench at a 23 kilometers (14 miles) depth.
At least two individuals lost their lives after being trapped in collapsed houses in Davao Oriental, as reported by provincial Governor Nelson Dayanghirang Sr. to ABS-CBN News Channel. He also mentioned that roughly 250 patients were evacuated from a compromised hospital and would temporarily reside in tents.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defense, noted that several buildings had sustained wall cracks, including an international airport in Davao city, which continued operating without any flight cancellations, as per Alejandro’s statement.
“I was driving my car when it suddenly swayed and I noticed power lines moving vigorously. People hurriedly exited their homes and buildings as the ground trembled, causing power outages,” narrated Jun Saavedra, a disaster-mitigation officer from Gov. Generoso town in Davao Oriental, to The Associated Press via cellphone.
“We’ve had earthquakes in the past, but this was the strongest,” Saavedra said, adding that the intense ground swaying caused cracks in several buildings, including a high school, where about 50 students were brought to a hospital by ambulance after sustaining bruises, fainting or becoming dizzy due to the earthquake.
Gov. Generoso is a town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Manay, where classes in all levels were also suspended.
Children evacuated schools in Davao city, which has about 5.4 million people and is the biggest city near the epicenter, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) 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 passed about two hours after the quake. It said small sea fluctuations may continue.
Alejandro 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. “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.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said small tsunami waves were detected in North Sulawesi province with heights ranging from 3.5 to 17 centimeters (1.3 to 6.7 inches) in Melonguane, Beo, Essang and Ganalo in Talaud Islands districts.
The Philippines is still recovering from a Sept. 30 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 that left at least 74 people dead and displaced thousands of people in the central province of Cebu, particularly in Bogo city and outlying towns.
The archipelago also is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making disaster response a major task of the government and volunteer groups.
Also Friday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck Friday off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered in the Bismarck Sea 414 kilometers (257 miles) northeast of Lae, the South Pacific island nation’s second-most populous city.
Lae police official Mary Jane Huafilong said no damage was reported.
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Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, contributed to this report.
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