Philippine president orders evacuation after powerful earthquake

10/10/2025 16:11

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has directed government agencies to immediately evacuate people in the coastal areas threatened by a tsunami after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines on Friday morning.



In a statement, Marcos urged people to "stay alert and calm," and "move to higher ground and stay away from the shore until authorities declare it safe."



"I have directed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Office of Civil Defense, the Armed Forces, the Philippine Coast Guard, and all concerned agencies to immediately carry out evacuations in coastal areas, activate emergency communication lines, and coordinate closely with local governments," he said.



The president said search, rescue, and relief operations are already being prepared and "will be deployed as soon as it is safe to do so."



The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has downgraded the offshore earthquake from a magnitude 7.6 to 7.4.



In an updated bulletin, the institute said that the quake, which occurred at 9:43 a.m. local time, struck at a depth of 23 kilometers, approximately 43 kilometers northeast of the municipality of Manay.