Phivolcs raises tsunami warning after 6.6 quake off Gigmoto town in Catanduanes

Location of the 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Catanduanes PHOTO: official facebook page of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS-DOST)

MANILA, Philippines — Following a magnitude 6.6 earthquake off Catanduanes town, state seismologists raised a tsunami warning for Catanduanes, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar.

“Based on the tsunami wave models and early tide gauge records of the tsunami, it is expected to experience wave heights of less than one meter above the normal tides and may be higher on enclosed bays and straits,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its advisory.

“It is [forecast] that the first tsunami waves will arrive between 09:02 PM to 12:54 AM 05 Apr 2023 (PST). These waves may continue for hours,” it added.

Phivolcs said the provinces’ coastal residents should stay away from the beaches and the coast and move farther inland.

“The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves. People are advised to ‘stay away from the beach and not to go to the coast’ of the following provinces until the cancellation of this advisory:

“People whose houses are located very near the shoreline of these provinces are advised to ‘move farther inland.'”

Owners of boats in those provinces’ harbors, estuaries, or shallow coastal water should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront. The advisory further stated that vessels already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised.

Phivolcs said that the tectonic tremor, which occurred 120 kilometers southeast of Gigmoto town at around 8:54 p.m., has a shallow depth of nine kilometers.

The tremor is expected to cause damage, and aftershocks are expected.

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 Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits waters off Catanduanes town 

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