6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippines, tsunami warning issued

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6.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the Philippine island of Mindanao on December 29, today
6.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the Philippine island of Mindanao on December 29, today

New Delhi : A 6.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the Philippine island of Mindanao on December 29, today. Following the massive quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warns about upcoming tsunami with small waves expected to hit southern parts of the country and neighbouring Indonesia.

The massive earthquake struck southeast of Davao City at a depth of 59 kilometres (35 miles), the US Geological Survey said, a week after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed more than 400 people in Indonesia.

According to Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, "hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible" along the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Conversely, the tsunami waves may be less than 30 cm (12 inches) high, it said, while Philippine monitors warned that "minor sea level disturbances" were to be expected. "People are advised to stay away from the beach and not to go to the coast fronting the Philippine Sea," for about two hours, the Philippines' government seismology office said in its tsunami warning.

Report says that south of the country felt "moderately strong" shaking but civil defence offices in the affected areas said they had no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake.

According to the USGS, there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage, although it warned recent earthquakes in the area had caused landslides.

The Philippines and Indonesia lie on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. The most recent major quake disaster to strike the Philippines was in 2013 when a 7.1-magnitude quake left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches in the central islands.

To inform, Indonesia has suffered from two major tsunamis in 2018. More than 400 people died last weekend due to a deadly wave triggered by erupting volcano. The wave stroked the coastlines of western Java island and south Sumatra. 

An earthquake with tsunami that occurred in September this year killed around 2,200 people in Palu on Sulawesi island, with thousands more missing and assumed dead.