The president of the Philippines has ordered evacuations in coastal areas near the epicentre of a magnitude-7.4 earthquake that struck in the Mindanao region, sparking multiple tsunami warnings.<\/p>\n
The earthquake struck about 20 kilometres away from the town of Manay at 9:43am local time (11:43am AEST) on Friday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which initially logged it as a magnitude-7.6.<\/p>\n
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) both listed the tremor as a magnitude-7.4. The ESMC said it hit at a depth of 58 kilometres below ground-level, the EMSC said on Friday.<\/p>\n
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Evacuations have been carried out at a school in Davao City after the earthquake. (AP: Manman Dejeto)<\/p>\n
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said authorities were urgently assessing the situation on the ground.<\/p>\n
Search and rescue efforts were also being organised for deployment as soon as it was safe to do so, Mr Marcos said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“We are working round the clock to ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it,” he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Philippine seismology chief Teresito Bacolcol said his agency would issue a tsunami warning.<\/p>\n
Waves of more than 1 metre above normal tidal levels were forecast on the country’s Pacific coast over a two-hour period.<\/p>\n
Mr Bacolcol’s office also urged residents in coastal areas in the affected zone “to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland”.<\/p>\n
There were no immediate reports of damage.<\/p>\n
Edwin Jubahib, the governor of the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental, said people panicked when the earthquake struck.<\/p>\n
“Some buildings were reported to have been damaged,” he told broadcaster DZMM.<\/p>\n
“It was very strong.”<\/p>\n
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School children were rushed outside in Davao City after the tremor. (AP: Manman Dejeto)<\/p>\n
Immediately after the quake, the United States Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat from Hawaii, saying hazardous waves were possible for coasts within 300km of the quake’s epicentre.<\/p>\n
In the half-hour after the quake, the USGA recorded multiple aftershocks in similar locations, including tremors of magnitudes ranging between 5.6 and 6.0.<\/p>\n