Phivolcs Cancels Tsunami Alert

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued and later canceled a tsunami advisory yesterday following a powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

- By CHRISTINE BOTON

According to the agency, the temblor occurred at 7:25 a.m. (Philippine time) at a depth of 74 kilometers and was expected to generate tsunami waves of less than one meter in coastal areas of the Philippines facing the Pacific Ocean.

The first waves were expected to hit between 1:20 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. yesterday. However, Phivolcs noted that these may not be the largest and wave activity could persist for hours.

As a precaution, the agency advised residents in coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean to stay away from beaches and shorelines, and to move farther inland if living near the coast.

Boat owners were also urged to secure their vessels and avoid going out to sea during the period of wave activity.