An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), triggering tsunami warnings in the country and neighboring Indonesia.
The earthquake struck around 07:37 a.m. local time at a depth of about 35 kilometers (21.7 miles), according to the USGS.
The country’s seismology agency, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, has issued a tsunami warning, calling on people living in coastal areas to evacuate. Tsunami waves could reach 1 to 3 meters above the tide level in parts of the Philippines, according to the US Tsunami Warning System .
Photos from the local information office in General Santos city showed convenience stores and buildings crumbling in the aftermath of the quake.
Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani in the Philippines, told Reuters that the police building had some cracks immediately after the quake, which occurred during their flag-raising ceremony.
Ancheta said there were no immediate reports of casualties, but some people fainted following the strong tremor.
“This is the strongest earthquake we’ve experienced,” Ancheta told Reuters by phone.
Indonesia has also issued a tsunami warning for its northeastern coast, Reuters reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
