Powerful earthquake hits eastern Philippines, triggering tsunami warnings

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck eastern parts of the Philippines on Saturday, prompting tsunami advisories across the region and as far south as Japan, almost 3,000 kilometers away.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The earthquake According to the US Geological Survey, the explosion struck around 10:37 pm local time in Mindanao, in the eastern part of the Philippines.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami advisory for Japan’s Pacific coast, from the Miyakojima-Yaeyama region to Chiba Prefecture.

Residents of Suriago del Sur and Davao Oriental provinces in eastern Mindanao were warned to seek higher ground or move further inland due to the possibility of tsunami waves exceeding one meter, or just over three feet, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

John Keef reporting contributed.