A An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred Mindanaoin the southern Philippines late Saturday, prompting evacuation orders in parts of the country and the southwest coast of Japan due to warnings Tsunami waves one meter or more high.

Philippine seismological agency Phivolcs said the waves could reach the Philippines at midnight and last for several hours, although there were no initial reports of significant damage from the waves at that time.

He US Tsunami Warning System said it might be waves up to 3 meters above normal levels high tide on some Philippine coasts, although it was later said there was no risk of a tsunami.

According to all available data (…) the threat of a tsunami from this earthquake has already passed.

Phivolcs said people living near the coast of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces should “evacuate immediately or move further inland,” he added.

Vessels at sea during this period must remain in deep water until notified.

These two provinces are mostly rural and not densely populated, unlike other parts of the Philippines.

Phivolcs said it did not expect significant damage from the earthquake itself, but warned of possible aftershocks.

The area has already been hit by more than a dozen aftershocks, the strongest of which was magnitude 6.4, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC).

Raymark GentallanThe local police chief in the coastal city of Hinatuan, which is located near the quake’s epicenter and has a population of about 44,000, said power had been cut since the quake but that emergency crews responding to the disaster were not yet under control. presence of casualties or damage.

We are evacuating people from coastal areas.

Photos posted on social media by Hinatuan’s local government showed dozens of residents and lines of vehicles moving to higher ground, as well as a large shelter occupied by several dozen people.

Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which is located on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean and is prone to seismic activity.