No tsunami in the PH after 8.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is not among the countries under tsunami watch, following the 8.6 magnitude earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia Wednesday afternoon, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Among the countries under Indian Ocean tsunami watch were Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Madagascar, Iran, Uae, Yemen, Comores, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, South Africa and Singapore.

The strong quake recorded at 2:38p.m., struck 495 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh in Sumatra at a depth of 33 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology already issued a tsunami bulletin at 4:59p.m. saying that the alert level in the country is zero.

“No destructive Pacific-wide threat exists based on the historical and tsunami data. However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coast located within a hundred kilometers of the epicenter,” it said.