Scientists claim that the earthquake that struck the east coast of the Philippines on Friday night packed enough power to be the "equivalent of 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs," but it is being said that a collection of factors saved the Filipinos severe damage from the natural disaster.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake was centered 91 miles off the town of Guiuan in Samar province at a 20 mile depth. It was reported to have been more potent if its epicenter had been on land, or there was more vertical displacement of ocean water; which would have triggered a destructive tsunami, according to a source of AsiaOne.

Director Renato Solidium of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology was asked if he thought the ideal outcome of the quake was a miracle.

"It's always a blessing when damage from an earthquake is minimal. I believe in God... but there are scientific explanations for what happened."

University of the Philippines geologist Alfred Mahar Lagmay also felt thankful that the natural disaster did not end up causing more damage, according to the site.

"We were lucky."

The quake was said to cause only minor damage as there were cracks in buildings and many bridges.

Thousands of residents who had left their coastal homes after Friday night's earthquake had returned on Saturday. However, hundreds or so more are still allegedly playing it safe by remaining in evacuation centers.

The Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii had issued a Pacific-wide tsunami alert. However, it was cancelled upon the temblor generating only small waves, according to the site.

The region has been no stranger to earthquake tragedies of the last decade, as an estimated 230,000 individuals in 13 Indian Ocean countries had previously died in an earthquake and tsunami off of Indonesia in 2004.

In 2011, another earthquake and tsunami just off Japan's northeast coast had taken roughly 20,000 lives and set off the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years when title waves had crashed into a nuclear power station.