Philippines earthquake: 500 injured and 20,000 displaced

General Santos (Philippines), 9 June (LaPresse/AP) – Yesterday’s earthquake in the Philippines, with its epicentre off the coast of Mindanao, the country’s second most populous island, injured nearly 500 people and led to the evacuation of over 20,000 residents, most of whom fled to emergency shelters. Many people who left their homes feared a tsunami. Following the quake, waves of up to 1.4 metres above tide level were recorded, but the only reported tsunami damage involved six stilt huts in a coastal village. Smaller waves reached the coasts of Indonesia and Palau and travelled as far as southern Japan.