A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 struck off the coast of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines on Saturday, the country's seismology agency said, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was a risk of large waves as far away as Indonesia,.

The Philippines Institute of volcanology and seismology said the earthquake was about 57 km southwest of Sarangani. It was felt in most parts of Mindanao, the biggest island in the south of the archipelago nation.

There were no initial reports of damage or casualties.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous waves could spread 300 km (190 miles) away from the epicentre.

But Renato Solidum, head of the Philippines seismology agency, told Reuters no tsunami warning was issued and there was no need to evacuate the areas affected.

But the agency had issued an advisory saying people could expect a minor drop in the sea level, large waves, and people should steer clear of the coast, he said.</s>A major earthquake measuring 7.2 struck off the coast of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines on Friday, raising the risk of tsunami waves as far away as Indonesia, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Hazardous waves could spread 300 kilometers (190 miles) away from the epicenter, which was in the sea south of the city of General Santos, the center added.

The U.S Geological Survey later downgraded the quake to 6.8.</s>A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

It struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles) in Mindanao, more than 700 kilometres southeast of the capital Manila, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center advised that hazardous tsunami waves were possible off the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.</s>(CBS SF) – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the southern part of the Philippines, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS reports the earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao about 50 miles south of General Santos City at 1:23 p.m. Friday Pacific Time (4:23 a.m. Saturday local time).

According to the National Tsunami Warning Center, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia within 300 kilometers of the epicenter.

Officials said there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the west coast of the United States.

This article will be updated as information warrants, and follow KPIX 5 on Twitter at @CBSSF or KCBS Radio on Twitter at @KCBSNews for updates on breaking news anytime.

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Strong earthquakes with an epicenter off the coast can trigger tsunamis, depending on the size and type of the fault movement. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tracks earthquake data for the West Coast.

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 Tsunami Alerts & Maps</s>A 6.8 earthquake has struck south off the island of Mindanao, triggering a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" for the coastline of islands in the Philippines, according to the US Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that tsunami waves could reach 300km from the epicenter of the earthquake, which was recorded at 6.8 on the Richter scale.Waves reaching up to 1 meter above normal tide levels are possible in the Philippines, while some coastlines in Indonesia, Malaysia and Palau could expect waves up to 30 centimeters higher than usual, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.The quake, which was initially reported to be of 7.2 magnitude, struck off the coast of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines at 8:23pm GMT Friday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake was measured at a depth of 41.7 km, 31km West of Balangonan.</s>DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a tsunami alert in five Mindanao provinces after a magnitude of 7. 2 earthquake struck Sarangani province on Saturday morning.

The tsunami alert was raised in the provinces of Sarangani, Davao Occidental, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental, and Sultan Kudarat.

The state seismologist, in its tsunami advisory issued at 5 a.m, said that sea level disturbances such as strong currents and rapid rise and fall of seawaters are expected.

The public was cautioned to avoid beaches fronting Celebes Sea from 4:28 a.m to 5:23 am until the threat has passed.

“The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves. Based on tsunami wave models and early tide gauge records of the tsunami in the Philippine Sea, coastal areas in Philippine provinces fronting the Celebes Sea are expected to experience wave heights of less than one meter above the normal tide levels,” Phivolcs said.

The tremor, which was tectonic in origin, was recorded 53 kilometers in Sarangani at 4:23 a.m with a depth of 57 kilometers, according to the state seismologist.

The tremor was felt in various parts of Mindanao. (davaotoday.com)</s>A previous earthquake which struck and damaged a highway in Getafe, Bohol in central Philippines in October 2013. — Reuters picMANILA, April 29 — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines early today, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted, Philippine and US authorities said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which shook the southern region of Mindanao just before dawn, Philippine officials said.

It struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles) in Mindanao, more than 700 kilometres southeast of the capital Manila, at 4.23am today (2023 GMT Friday), the US Geological Service said.

“We do not expect major damage after this event,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief Renato Solidum said on ABS-CBN television in Manila.

The state-run institute gave a higher magnitude reading of 7.2. The epicentre was about 53 kilometres off Mindanao's south coast, it added.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially advised that hazardous tsunami waves were possible off the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia.

Less than two hours later the US and Philippine authorities lifted the tsunami alert, saying the danger had passed.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the US agency said.

However, Philippine authorities said they were checking potential local damage.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. — AFP</s>A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines early Saturday, officials said, damaging several buildings and injuring two people as panicked residents fled the coast following a tsunami warning.

US authorities warned of potential hazardous waves in the southern region of Mindanao and Indonesia after the quake hit at 4:23 a.m., but the tsunami alert was lifted less than two hours later.

Residents were jolted from their beds and ran onto the streets as the earthquake shook the area, leaving cracks in a hospital, two government buildings and a port, as well as triggering the collapse of at least one house and causing a brief power outage.

“The floor appeared to rise first before swaying violently from side to side. Then the lights went out,” said Adrian Morallas, who was at work at the civil defense office in General Santos city at the time of the quake.

“I ducked and took cover under my desk in line with our disaster training, though it was very difficult to do that in the dark with the ground shaking.”

Morallas said coastal communities near General Santos were told to evacuate as a precaution, though authorities do not know how many people actually left their homes.

The quake struck at a depth of 41 kilometers (25 miles) off Mindanao island, the US Geological Service said.

The state-run Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology gave a higher magnitude reading of 7.2. The epicenter was about 53 kilometers off Mindanao’s south coast, it added.

 READ: Strong magnitude 7.2 quake rocks Mindanao

“We do not expect major damage after this event,” the institute’s head Renato Solidum said on ABS-CBN television in Manila.

Morallas said two people were injured during the evacuations in the Mindanao coastal towns of Glan and Malapatan.

One person was hit by a falling rock while a pregnant woman hurt herself when she fell.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth’s quakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake damaged dozens of houses on central Mindanao on April 12, while a trio of strong quakes battered buildings and caused panicked tourists to flee a popular resort near Manila on April 8.

A 6.5-magnitude quake killed eight people and left more than 250 injured outside the Mindanao city of Surigao in February, and another 5.9-magnitude tremor killed one person there last month.

Before Surigao, the last lethal earthquake to hit the country was a 7.1-magnitude tremor that left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches when it struck the central islands in October 2013.</s>The earthquake has struck just off the southern coast of the Philippines

The 7.2-magnitude quake has hit the Mindanao island with early reports suggesting buildings have been damaged.

The quake will cause “hazardous waves” within 186 miles (300km) of the epicentre, according to the Pacific Tsunami Centre.

Indonesia and coastal regions of the Philippines could be affected by the enormous earthquake, as reports claim the tsunami waves rock the two areas.

It was measured at a depth of 10km, 68km south of the city of General Santos, the Centre added.</s>A strong earthquake measuring 7.2 struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the Philippines on Saturday, and the country’s seismology agency advised people to stay away from coastal areas but expected no major damage.

There were no immediate reports of destruction or casualties, but witnesses said the quake was very strong and shook the ground and walls.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was a risk big waves could spread 300 km (190 miles) away from the epicenter, reaching as far away as Indonesia.

READ MORE: Chile rattled by more than a dozen off-shore earthquakes

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) said no tsunami warning was issued after a quake it had measured at 7.2. The U.S Geological Survey downgraded its own assessment of the magnitude to 6.8.

The Philippines is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequentearthquakes, particularly in the south, although there were several last month in Batangas on the main island of Luzon, felt also in the capital Manila.

The earthquake was about 57 km (35 miles) southwest of Sarangani province, the southernmost part of Mindanao, the biggest island in the south of the archipelago nation.

“This is the strongest earthquake I have experienced,” she said. “The wall looked like it would fall.”

Philvolcs head Renato Solidum said there was no need to evacuate the area. The quake was at sea, and deep, although the public had been advised to stay away from the coast in the south for the next few hours.

READ MORE: Residents flee after several earthquakes hit southern Philippines (April 8)

Solidum said no major damage was anticipated.

“Many of our southern cities are far from the epicenter so we are not expecting much damage,” he told news channel ANC.

“We have had some aftershocks, we expect that.”

Janet Bongolan, tourism officer at the Tuka Marine Park in Sarangani province, said people spilled out of their homes and into the streets during the earthquake, but most had returned and there was no sign of panic.
A 6.8 earthquake strikes off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines triggering tsunami warnings.