A magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook the southern Philippine island of Mindanao at about 22:37 local time on Saturday (14:37 UTC, December 2), killing at least one person - a pregnant woman - and injuring at least four others, including the pregnant woman's husband and daughter.
The epicenter of the quake was located off the coast of the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental, triggering a tsunami alert for the residents of the coastal areas and even across the western Pacific before it was later lifted.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said tsunami waves of up to half a meter were recorded and observed in some of Japan's outlying islands.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said that at least 600 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 6.2 have also been recorded.
Rocked by Catastrophe
The Philippines is located at the western end of the Ring of Fire, a series of volcanoes and fault lines lining the Pacific tectonic plate, including the geographical areas of Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the western coasts of the Americas.
The earthquake followed an earlier 6.8 magnitude earthquake in southern Mindanao that claimed the lives of at least nine people and damaged multiple properties and buildings.
Filipino broadcaster ABS-CBN reported that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public on Sunday (December 3) that the government was working to help the victims of the recent earthquake.
Marcos also noted that Manila's social welfare and interior departments were collaborating with local governments to "provide essential aid" to people in need.
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