August 31st, 2012
10:06 AM ET

7.6 quake hits off Philippines

[Updated 10:06 a.m. ET] People in eastern areas of the Philippine island of Mindanao should evacuate to higher ground after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami warning, an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, according to the Philippine News Agency.

"Residents living (in) these areas facing the Pacific Ocean are advised to evacuate to higher places," he said, citing the areas of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental as particularly vulnerable.

[Updated 9:52 a.m. ET] A tsunami warning has been lifted for Japan, Taiwan and several Pacific islands, but a warning remains for Indonesia and the Philippines, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's tsunami center said Friday.

[Updated 9:50 a.m. ET] The U.S. Geological Survey has revised the magnitude of an earthquake that struck off the coast of the Philippines to 7.6, down from an initial reporting of 7.9, the agency said Friday.

[Posted 9:01 a.m. ET] An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 has struck off the coast of the Philippines, the U.S. Geological Survey said Friday.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Guam and other areas, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the tsunami warning center said.

The quake, which was about 20 miles deep, struck just before 8:50 p.m., the agency said. Its center was about 65 miles southeast of the town of Guiuan, in the Philippine province of East Samar.

Ed Serrano, the head of security at the Marco Polo Hotel in the city of Davao, about 250 miles south of Guiuan, said he felt the ground shake.

"The quake was very strong and the hotel guests were panicking. Most of them went outside," he said. "But now the situation is under control and we are waiting for official reports on how strong the quake was."

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

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Filed under: Earthquake • Natural Disasters • Philippines
soundoff (85 Responses)
  1. dm.pinoy

    Dawn here..still I can't sleep..

    August 31, 2012 at 12:53 pm | Report abuse |
  2. BOMBO ©

    My wife just got back from there. I'll get her to call the in-laws.

    August 31, 2012 at 3:02 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      Let us know, okay, BOMBO?

      My thoughts are with all of the people of the Phillipines who are affected...

      August 31, 2012 at 10:05 pm | Report abuse |
    • BOMBO ©

      They're Okay. My wife was actually talking to her sister on the phone during one of the aftershocks. Weird.

      August 31, 2012 at 10:18 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Fe Ramos

    pls. lets pray 🙁

    August 31, 2012 at 6:28 pm | Report abuse |
  4. unknown

    I didnt realize that there is an Earthquake
    Cause i was in the plane.... rather an AIRPLANE!!

    August 31, 2012 at 8:12 pm | Report abuse |
    • known

      Thanks for that clarification! So it was Da plane Da plan Master~~

      August 31, 2012 at 10:53 pm | Report abuse |
  5. BONG

    We are praying that our good LORD will spare us from any danger. Cebu City

    August 31, 2012 at 9:21 pm | Report abuse |
  6. BONG

    We are praying. Cebu City

    August 31, 2012 at 9:22 pm | Report abuse |
  7. chinta

    god saved philippines

    September 1, 2012 at 8:45 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Jesus is the most powerful figure known to mankind

    Wow another one already? Mark 13:8-"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains." The realness of this is scary, soon all eyes will be opened and none will dare deny the power of the living GOD.

    September 3, 2012 at 4:49 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Frank

    People of the United States of America and the World,
    There is a pattern to these Eartquake events that seem to travel in a kind of ring around the world,There was Italy,Iran,China or Mongolia, now the 7.6 in the Phillipines,I hate to say it but South America or the U.S.West Coast may be next on top of the smaller ones they just had.

    September 3, 2012 at 5:28 pm | Report abuse |
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