Huge earthquake off Philippines prompts tsunami warning

Manila: A major earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck
off the eastern coast of the Philippines late Friday, triggering
tsunami warnings across the region.
The quake was felt off the east coast of Samar province in the central
Philippines at 8.47 pm local time on Friday, the US Geological Survey
(USGS) reported.
At least one house collapsed and power was knocked out in several
Philippine cities, local radio reported.
A tsunami alert originally was issued for several countries including
Japan and for Pacific islands as far away as the Northern Marianas,
but most of them were soon lifted, leaving warnings only for the
Philippines, Indonesia and Palau, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
said.
The epicentre of the quake was initially determined to be 146 km east
ofSamar with a depth of 34.9 km.
The head of the Philippine seismology agency, Renato Solidum, said
that residents living along the coastline of eastern Samar Island were
advisedto evacuate to high ground in case of the tsunami.
A local radio station reported one houses collapsed in southern
Cagayan de Oro city and there was no electricity in several other
towns and cities across the central and southern Philippines.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental
plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
(With Agency inputs)