Tsunami alert up in 20 provinces following Chile quake

September 16, 2015 - 10:39pm

Police patrol a debris strewn street in Valparaiso, Chile, after a tsunami, caused by an earthquake hit the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. A magnitude-8.3 earthquake hit off Chile's northern coast, causing buildings to sway in Santiago and other cities and sending people running into the streets. Authorities reported one death in a town north of the capital. Pablo Ovalle Isasmendi/AGENCIA UNO via AP

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Thursday raised tsunami alerts in 20 provinces following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake near the coast of Chile.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," PHIVOLCS said in a statement.

The coastal communities of the following areas are advised to wait for updates:

Batanes Group of Islands
Cagayan
Ilocos Norte
Isabela
Quezon
Aurora
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Albay
Catanduanes
Sorsogon
Northern Samar
Eastern Samar
Leyte
Southern Leyte
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur
Davao Oriental
Davao del Sur
Davao Occidental

The PHIVOLCS clarified that no evacuation is in effect.

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