Jakarta , Oct 15 (Antara) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) sounded an early warning about an impending tsunami following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted the eastern part of Balilihan city, Philippines at 7:12 AM Tuesday. "We have distributed the map of tsunami's progress and the time at which it may strike. Several areas in Philippines are predicted to suffer devastation as a result of the tsunami," the Head of Public Relation and Data Information of the BNPB, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said in a message received here by Antara on Tuesday. The earthquake was measured at a depth of 10 km. Based on the early alarm about tsunami, issued by the Pacific Disaster Center, which was received by BNPB Post, Sutopo said the northern areas of Indonesia will also be affected by it. Tsunami is expected to reach Patani in Thailand, Manado in Sulawesi, Tarakan in Kalimantan, and Jayapura as well as Sorong in Papua approximately three to four hours after the earthquake jolted Philippines. The agency said the tsunami waves that will reach Indonesia will not be too high. The BNPB also suggested people living in the areas expected to be affected by tsunami to remain calm and not panic. "We urge the people to stay away from any activities on the sea and along coastal areas. We will continuously give out information related to developments related to sea," Sutopo said. The epicenter of the quake was in the Bohol Island of Philippines. The agency classified the tremors as a very strong category of earthquake on VII MMI Scale. The tremors were recorded in San Isidro city, Danao, Loay, San Pascual, Jandayan, and San Agustin. The agency also categorized the tremors recorded in Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, and Iloilo as falling in V to VI MMI category, or moderate to strong. These towns are located in Bohol Island, Cebu Island, Negros Island, Leyte Island and the northern part of the Mindanao Island. The agency predicted that these cities could face the strongest jolts from the earthquake. About 4.59 million people inhabit the area falling within a hundred kilometer radius from the epicenter of the earthquake. (*)

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