ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the Sulu Sea early yesterday morning, prompting a tsunami alert in the island provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
The tremor was recorded at around 5:41 a.m., 315 kilometers southeast of Jolo, Sulu with a depth of 612 kms, said Phivolcs officer Allan Labayog.
“It was hardly felt in nearby areas and could not cause tsunami compared to what was feared,” Labayog said.
Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of Jolo-based Task Force Comet, confirmed that no tremor was felt in Sulu.
In August 1976, a powerful quake shook Sarangani, triggering a tsunami that struck the coast of Zamboanga del Sur and causing destruction and leaving scores of people dead. – Roel Pareño