Seismologists advised locals to avoid the seashore after a powerful offshore earthquake rattled eastern Philippine regions on Tuesday night because it could unleash waves as small as three feet (less than one meter) high.
The earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey reported measured magnitude 6.2 and was located at a depth of 15 kilometers, did not immediately result in any reports of injuries or damage (9 miles).
On the island province of Catanduanes, 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Gigmoto town, the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that the epicenter was located.
The “Ring of Fire” that surrounds the Pacific Ocean and is home to many of the world’s seismic faults is where the Philippines is located. In addition, it experiences roughly 20 typhoons and tropical storms year, making it one of the nations most vulnerable to natural disasters.
Almost 2,000 people were killed in the northern Philippines in 1990 by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake.
