A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the southeast coast of the Philippines on Friday morning, shaking the ground and sending panicked residents running onto the roads, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake struck around 9:45 a.m. local time off the eastern coast of Mindanao, 123 kilometers (79 miles) from Mindanao’s largest city, Davao, at a depth of 58.1 kilometers (36 miles), the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage.
The U.S. tsunami warning system initially warned of a possible tsunami in the island nations of the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau, but that threat had passed by midday.
Dramatic videos and images of the moment the quake struck showed panicked Mindanao residents jumping out of buildings or trying to maintain their balance as the ground below shook violently.
A video feed from a market in Davao showed the ground shaking and people screaming and fleeing. In Davao City, firefighters were filmed crouching on the ground outside a substation as sirens wailed.
Jaymar Seso told CNN that he was outside the Davao Regional Medical Center when the ground suddenly started shaking and he found it difficult to walk.
“Everyone in the building came out screaming,” he said. “After it subsided, you could clearly see the fear on people’s faces.”
On Friday morning, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities were assessing the situation on the ground and preparations were underway for search and rescue operations, according to Reuters.
“We are working around the clock to ensure that assistance reaches everyone who needs it,” Marcos said.
The country is still recovering from the devastating earthquake that hit central Cebu less than two weeks ago.
The magnitude 6.9 earthquake was the worst in the Philippines in more than a decade, killing at least 72 people, injuring hundreds, displacing tens of thousands and causing extensive damage, according to Reuters.
The Philippines is prone to natural disasters and is regularly hit by powerful earthquakes, as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) seismic fault that stretches around the Pacific Ocean, home to more than half of the world’s volcanoes.
The archipelago nation has also been hit by two devastating typhoons this month.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted over the government’s alleged misuse of funds earmarked for flood relief projects.
