How bad was the 7.6 earthquake that rocked the Philippines? Why is the country so vulnerable?

A strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the region of Mindanao in southern Philippines on Friday (October 10), killing at least two people. The powerful tremors caused panic among people, with children being evacuated from schools in Davao, the biggest city near the epicentre.

The Philippine seismology agency initially issued a tsunami warning, which was later lifted. Damage and aftershocks are expected after the strong tremors, the Philippine seismology office said.

Let’s take a closer look.

Strong quake jolts the Philippines

The Philippines was rocked by a powerful earthquake in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region on Friday morning.

The quake was triggered by movement in the Philippine Trench at a depth of 23 kilometres, Associated Press (AP) reported, citing the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Videos shared on social media showed people crouching on the ground, supporting themselves on all fours to maintain their balance as the ground shook violently beneath them.

Footage also showed many patients at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) fleeing the hospital building.

The powerful quake even knocked over motorcycles. People in Tagum city were seen praying, saying, “Save us, Lord,” as debris from a mall dropped near them.

In a video shared on social media and verified by Reuters, office workers in Davao city were seen clinging to desks. Another footage showed falling cabinets and evacuated workers assembling outside.

Nelson Dayanghirang Sr, the governor of the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental, told ABS-CBN News Channel that at least two people died after being trapped in damaged houses in the province. He added that about 250 patients were evacuated from a damaged hospital and would be temporarily shifted to tents.

A 54-year-old woman in Davao Oriental’s Mati city is among the casualties after a fence of an electrical building fell on her, city official Charlemagne Bagasol told the BBC. The woman lived across the building, he said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared, adding that they will be deployed when it is safe to do so.

Power supply hit, classes suspended, buildings damaged

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake disrupted power supply in Davao Oriental and the internet connectivity, the Philippine Bureau of Fire Protection wrote in an update on Facebook.

Emergency workers were evacuating residents in coastal areas and examining potential damage to buildings, the bureau said.

The quake also led to several schools suspending classes.

Sawsan Entrino, a disaster officer in Banay-Banay, told Philippine broadcaster DZMM that local classes had been suspended and inspections were being conducted to find any damage.

Classes were also suspended in Iloilo City in central Philippines this morning.

Operations at Iloilo City Hall were also cancelled, to “allow our employees to check on their families at home and thoroughly inspect the building”, Mayor Raisa Trenas wrote on Facebook.

“Please stay alert and follow official advisories,” she wrote.

Speaking to BBC, Richie Diuyen, a worker at the local disaster agency in the town of Manay, said some students fainted and the quake left her feeling dizzy.

“I am still scared and shook. We couldn’t believe how strong the earthquake was. This was the first time I have experienced that,” Diuyen said.

Christine Sierte, a teacher in the town of Compostela near Manay, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) she was attending an online meeting when the violent shaking began.

“It was very slow at first then it got stronger … That’s the longest time of my life. We weren’t able to walk out of the building immediately because the shaking was so strong,” she said.

“The ceilings of some offices fell, but luckily no one was injured,” she said. However, some of the school’s 1,000-odd students “suffered panic attacks and difficulty in breathing”.

“I was driving my car when it suddenly swayed and I saw powerlines swaying wildly. People darted out of houses and buildings as the ground shook and electricity came off,” Jun Saavedra, a disaster-mitigation officer of Gov. Generoso town in Davao Oriental, told The Associated Press on the phone.

“We’ve had earthquakes in the past, but this was the strongest,” Saavedra said. As per the officer, the powerful jolts caused cracks in several buildings, including a high school, where 50 students were taken to a hospital by ambulance after sustaining bruises, fainting or feeling dizzy after the earthquake.

Residents in the Talaud Islands off the coast of Indonesia were asked to stay alert, while pupils were sent home, Hutdam Manurat, a government official in the archipelago, told BBC Indonesia.

The Talaud Islands, which have a population of 100,000, are located close to the Philippine border.

ALSO READ: Churches damaged, roads split open: How 6.9 earthquake ravaged Philippines

Tsunami threat passes

The strong tremors today triggered tsunami warnings from the Philippine and Indonesian authorities.

Officials urged residents of coastal provinces to evacuate due to the threat of tsunamis.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier said a “destructive tsunami is expected with life threatening wave heights”.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, hazardous waves could be reported within 300 kilometres of the epicentre. It warned that waves up to three metres above normal tides were also possible on some Philippine coasts, and smaller waves in Indonesia and Palau.

Indonesian authorities had issued tsunami warnings for the northern Sulawesi and Papua regions.

Indonesia witnessed “minor tsunamis”, with the highest reaching 17cm in the Talaud Islands in North Sulawesi, reported BBC. 

Jakarta’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency urged residents in the area to stay aware and avoid beaches and riverbanks.

‘We have to prepare’

The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Friday’s tremors hit just 10 days after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Bogo City in Cebu province, killing at least 74 people and displacing thousands of people. The area is still facing aftershocks.

The Philippines is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters as it sits on the “ Ring of Fire ”.

The Ring of Fire is a huge belt of active and dormant volcanoes that spans most of the Pacific Ocean. It stretches from southern Chile and the US west coast through the islands off Alaska and down Japan to the Philippines.

As per National Geographic, around 90 per cent of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. Also, 75 per cent of all active volcanoes on Earth lie along this belt.

The Ring of Fire was formed as a result of the shifting of tectonic plates, which are massive slabs of the Earth’s crust. These plates constantly move above the mantle, a layer of solid and molten rock below the Earth’s crust.

The Philippines, especially, is situated at the convergence of several major tectonic plates.

“We understand that Filipinos are now experiencing disaster fatigues from typhoons, volcanic minor eruptions and earthquakes. We asked them not to feel fearful," said Dr Teresito Bacolol of the Philippines Volcanic Agency in a press conference on Friday, as per BBC. 

“We have to prepare ourselves. We have to accept our reality that the Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - that every now and then we will be jolted by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Instead of panicking, we have to prepare.”

With inputs from agencies