A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the island of Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, this Monday, triggering a tsunami alert in the archipelago, according to data released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
According to this agency, the epicenter of the seismic event was located about 24 kilometers from the island of Burias and at an approximate depth of 55.2 kilometers. Minutes later, the USGS reported the detection of another earthquake of magnitude 6.4 with an epicenter 16 kilometers from Baligoán, in an area close to the first tremor.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), which also corroborated the earthquake, has issued a tsunami alert due to the possibility of waves being generated that could "exceed normal tide levels by more than one meter," with a potential increase in impact in enclosed bays and narrow passages.
Given this scenario, authorities have ordered the immediate evacuation of residents in the coastal areas of the provinces of Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Sarangani, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato, located in the south of the country.