Philippines issues tsunami warning after deadly 7.8 earthquake

Tsunami warnings were issued after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on Monday morning.

The seismological agencies of the Philippines and Indonesia have issued tsunami warnings, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert also for Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea.

"We advise people to evacuate to higher grounds or go further inland," said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs warned that tsunami waves above one meter (yard) could ‌continue ​for several hours, while aftershocks could also be felt in the region.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‌said authorities were moving fast to coordinate disaster response.

"The national government is moving and we will not ‌leave Mindanao ​behind," Marcos said in a statement.

Indonesia lifted its tsunami warning later on Monday.

The Philippines lies on the edge of the Pacific's so-called 'Ring of Fire' — an arc of seismic faults that makes the country unusually prone to volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis.

At least 15 killed, over 100 in earthquake

According to officials from the disaster agency, the death toll from the earthquake has reached at least 15 in the Philippines.

Rodrigo Sosmena, the regional civil defense director, said that 12 people were killed and 129 were injured in the Soccksargen region of Mindanao Island.

The province of Davao Occidental has reported three additional fatalities.

General Santos, a port city in the south of Mindanao with a population of over 700,000 and a hub for tuna exports and other commerce, was among the areas hit hardest by the earthquake.

"Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues," Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told the AFP news agency.

"A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed."

The quake struck 24.7 kilometers (15.3 miles) west-southwest of the Philippine town of Burias at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

Edited by: Rana Taha