A earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of the Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday, and "potential tsunami" warnings were issued in 4 countries.

The earthquake occurred at 10:37 PM local time on Saturday, with a depth of 32 kilometers.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that "based on the magnitude and location, tsunami waves are expected to hit the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Palau."

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also said earlier on the "X", formerly "Twitter" platform: "There are expectations of a destructive tsunami with wave heights at levels that pose a threat to human lives."

The institute reported that "waves exceeding the normal height by more than one meter are expected to hit the coast," and advised residents in the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental to "immediately evacuate their areas and head to higher ground or inland areas."

The Philippines experiences earthquakes daily, especially since the archipelago lies on the "Ring of Fire," an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity extending from Japan to the Pacific Ocean basin, passing through Southeast Asia.

Earthquakes are often mild to the extent that residents do not feel them, but the country sometimes experiences strong and destructive earthquakes that occur without warning, mainly due to the lack of necessary technology to predict their location and timing.