The earthquake in the Philippines

The tsunami threat in the Philippines has been called off after the earthquake  

 

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 has struck the Philippines, reports Reuters. The US Geological Institute issued a tsunami warning and the waves were expected to reach land at 17:00 Swedish time, but shortly before 18:00 the authority announced that the threat had been lifted.  

 

Residents in the cities of Surigao Del Sur and Davao have been urged to evacuate and get inland and to higher altitude, AP writes.  

 

Just before 17.45, the USGS states that an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.4 has occurred.  

 

The Philippine newspaper Inquirer writes that residents in several cities have felt strong tremors, but there are no reports of any major damage.  

 

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Norwegian ex-minister in the affected area: "Had to crawl out"  

 

Tsunami waves are expected to hit the Philippines on Saturday evening after a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7. In the middle of the drama is the Norwegian former fisheries minister and the Progressive Party's former deputy party secretary Per Sandberg. 

 

“The earthquake hit the building hard. I had to crawl out of the room to the emergency exit because of swaying and shaking," he writes in a text message to VG.  

 

He is in the big city of Davao for a wedding and was on the 16th floor of the hotel when the quake struck. He writes to the newspaper that he is now awaiting further information from the authorities. 

 

No major damage has been reported but the local seismological authority warns that the tsunami waves can be deadly.