Southern Philippines hit by a powerful earthquake; Possible tsunami waves | Today’s news

(Bloomberg) — A strong earthquake struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, triggering a tsunami warning, damaging buildings and prompting evacuations on the first day of school.

The USGS estimated it at magnitude 7.8, the same as the Philippines. According to the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences, the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and was at a depth of 10 kilometers. Dangerous tsunami waves are possible within three hours along some coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said at 7:51 a.m. in Manila.

“Move to a higher place immediately. Don’t wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement. He ordered relevant government agencies to act immediately and suspended classes in the affected areas in Mindanao until further notice.

Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning for some areas including Kalimantan on the island of Borneo as well as parts of the island of Sulawesi, according to a tweet from the national weather agency warning of waves up to three meters high.

The extent of damage caused by the earthquake remains unclear. According to local radio DZRH, part of a building collapsed in the city of General Santos in the south of the country. Students were evacuated on the first day of school and the hospital took patients to the street.

“We have agreed with our municipalities in the coastal communities to carry out an emergency evacuation,” Rene Punzalan, head of the provincial disaster office in Sarangani, told radio station DZBB. “The power is out and the phone signal is intermittent.”

He described the earthquake as strong. “Like rocking in a cradle,” he said.

Van Ruiz, an employee at the Sarangani Bay Beach Resort, said by phone that all their guests were being checked out and that the hotel building had sustained some damage.

Government works in several areas including Davao City have been suspended, according to media reports. According to DZMM radio, flights to the city of General Santos have been suspended.

“I couldn’t even stand, it was so strong. Everything in my house fell down,” General Santos City resident Tomas Alon told DZBB. “It probably took me a minute to get off the second floor.

–With assistance from Mary Hui, Ditas B Lopez, Manolo Serapio Jr., Zoe Ma and Cliff Venzon.

(Adds additional size estimates, presidential quote, damage details throughout.)

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