Tsunami threat as magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes off southern Philippines

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An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 has struck offshore in the southern Philippines, the country’s seismology agency said, with a tsunami warning issued and people in nearby coastal areas urged to evacuate to higher ground.

The strong quake struck on Friday in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles).

“Wave heights of more than one metre above normal tides” should be expected, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a tsunami warning.

Tsunami waves may be higher along enclosed bays and straits, the institute said.

The institute “strongly advised” people living in several regions to immediately evacuate to higher ground and further inland.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.