MANILA, Philippines – MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two powerful offshore earthquakes struck the same region in the southern Philippines within hours of each other on Friday.
The first quake, a magnitude 7.4, in the morning killed at least five people, caused landslides, damaged hospitals and schools and forced the evacuation of nearby coastal areas due to a tsunami warning that was later lifted.
The second had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9. Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology chief Teresito Bacolcol said Friday night's earthquake that rocked the city of Manay in the eastern province of Davao was caused by movement along the same fault line, the Philippine Trench, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
It was not immediately clear whether it was an isolated earthquake or an aftershock from the magnitude 7.4 quake.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.facing its latest natural disaster after recent deadly earthquake And alternating stormssaid potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared and would be deployed when it was safe to do so.
The first quake occurred offshore about 43 kilometers (27 miles) east of the city of Manay in the eastern province of Davao and was caused by movement in the Philippine Trench at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles).
At least five people were killed, including two patients who died of heart attacks in hospital during the first quake and a resident injured by debris in the town of Mati in Davao Oriental, Ednar Dayangiran, regional director of the government's civil defense office, told The Associated Press by phone.
Two villagers were killed and several others were rescued with injuries by army troops and civilian volunteers in a landslide triggered by the first quake in a remote gold-mining village in Pantucan town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, Dayangiran said.
Civil Defense Office deputy chief Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said cracks appeared in the walls of several buildings, including the international airport in Davao City, but it continued to operate without any flight cancellations, Alejandro said.
“I was driving my car when it suddenly swayed and I saw the power lines swaying violently. People were running out of houses and buildings as the ground shook and the power went out,” June Saavedra, a disaster relief officer for Governor Generoso's city, told The Associated Press by cellphone. Davao Oriental.
“We've had earthquakes in the past, but this was the strongest,” Saavedra said, adding that the strong ground shaking caused cracks in several buildings, including at the high school, where about 50 students were taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering bruises, fainting or dizziness from the first quake.
Governor Generoso is a town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Manai, where school classes at all levels have also been suspended.
Children evacuated schools in Davao City, which has a population of about 5.4 million and is the largest city near the epicenter, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of eastern Davao province.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said small waves were detected along the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia before the threat passed about two hours after the first quake. It said minor sea level fluctuations may continue.
A tsunami warning that prompted the evacuation of people in six coastal provinces near Davao Oriental was later lifted, but no major waves were detected, said top government seismologist Teresito Bacolcol.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said small tsunami waves were detected in North Sulawesi province ranging from 3.5 to 17 centimeters (1.3 to 6.7 inches) in the Melonguan, Beo, Essang and Ganalo areas of Talaud Islands.
The Philippines is still recovering from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30 that killed at least 74 people and displaced thousands in the central province of Cebu, especially in the city of Bogo and outlying towns.
The archipelago is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making disaster response a major task for the government and volunteer groups.
Also on Friday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 occurred off the coast of Papua New Guinea on Friday. The US Geological Survey said it was centered in the Bismarck Sea 414 kilometers (257 miles) northeast of Lae, the South Pacific island nation's second most populous city.
Lae police spokeswoman Mary Jane Huaphilong said no damage was reported.
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Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, contributed to this report.
