Phivolcs: No tsunami threat after 7.2 quake off Sarangani town, Davao Occidental

Illustration from Phivolcs following a 7.2 earthquake off the waters of Saranggani town in Davao Occidental on Friday, November 17, 2023

MANILA, Philippines — State seismologists ruled out the possibility of a tsunami after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit in the waters off Sarangani town in Davao Occidental on Friday.

In its advisory, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said “no destructive tsunami threat exists based on available sea-level data.”

“There is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake,” Phivolcs announced.

“However, earthquakes of this size may generate unusual sea level disturbances that may be observed along coasts near the earthquake epicenter of Davao Occidental,” it warned nevertheless.

Phivolcs located the tremor 30 kilometers southwest of the area.

It occurred at 4:14 pm.

The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.