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Manila: The Philippines lifted a tsunami alert early on Sunday after a 7.4-magnitude offshore earthquake that hit southern Philippines has killed at least one person and injured two others, local authorities reported.
There were no initial reports of casualties or serious damage from the quake in the Mindanao region, although some residents reported damage to buildings in the area, which is less populated than some parts of the archipelago.
According to the information, The local disaster reduction office reported that a woman from Tagum City in Davao del Norte province was killed when a wall of her house collapsed. More than 500 aftershocks were recorded, and the Philippines’ Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) urged caution as people resumed normal activities.
In a statement Phivolcs said The tsunami threat associated with this earthquake has now largely passed the Philippines,” but advised people in threatened communities to heed the instructions from local authorities.
It had earlier urged people living near the coast of Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces to move inland. In an updated report on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology upgraded the magnitude of the earthquake from 6.9 to 7.4.
The national disaster said it was assessing the impact of the quake, with a team on the ground collating information. The institute said the quake, which occurred at 10.37 p.m. on Saturday night, hit at a depth of 25 km, about 30 km northeast of Hinatuan town. The Philippine Coast Guard put all its vessels and aircraft on alert for potential dispatch.
The residents returned home after the institute lifted the tsunami alert. “We started going back to our homes early on Sunday, even though we are still in shock because of the aftershocks,” Julita Bicap, 51, a front desk worker at the GLC Suites hotel in the seaside town of Bislig, said after power was restored around 5 a.m.”
“There are still aftershocks. Last night we were at the evacuation center, including two of our foreign guests. One of them had already returned to the hotel,” Bicap told media. He said he noticed a small crack in the front wall of the hotel.
