A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippines early Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring four, with buildings collapsing across the archipelago and tsunami warnings issued for several countries in the region. The death toll remains subject to validation, the country’s civil defence office said.
The quake hit at 7:37am local time (2:37am Cyprus time) off the coast of Mindanao, at a depth of about 35 kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicentre was located approximately 56 kilometres south of General Santos, one of the largest cities in the region. An initial magnitude estimate of 8.1 was later revised down to 7.8 by the USGS.
“Some buildings collapsed. Some houses also became rubble,” said Master Sergeant Robert Dagon, a police officer in General Santos.
Videos posted to social media showed buildings collapsing. Authorities in areas closest to the epicentre continued to assess the situation.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) said a tsunami could develop “within the next three hours” and strike coastlines in the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. The PTWC said waves of one to three metres were possible along Philippine coasts, and waves of 0.3 to one metre along the coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued its own tsunami warning along coastlines stretching from the southern island of Okinawa to areas east of Tokyo. Waves were expected to begin arriving on Japanese shores at around 11:30am local time (5:30am Cyprus time) and were not expected to exceed one metre.
The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity where powerful earthquakes occur frequently.
(Reuters)