09:54

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake Friday morning off the southern Philippines damaged buildings, knocked out power, killed at least one person and prompted evacuations of coastal areas nearby due to a possible tsunami.

Axar.az informs, citing AP, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared and would be deployed when it was safe to do so.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it was expecting damage and aftershocks from the earthquake, which was centered at sea about 62 kilometers (38 miles) southeast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province and was caused by movement in the Philippine Trench at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles).

At least one person died after being hit by falling debris in the south, Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a news briefing without providing details.

Alejandro warned that tsunami waves could hit six nearby coastal provinces from Davao Oriental up to two hours after the earthquake struck at 9:43 a.m. “We urge these coastal communities to be on alert and immediately evacuate to higher grounds until further notice,” Alejandro said in a video news briefing.

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A new offshore earthquake with a preliminary 6.9 magnitude hit the same southern Philippine region struck Friday morning by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, according to AP.

It wasn’t immediately clear if it was a separate earthquake or an aftershock of Friday morning’s 7.4-magnitude quake.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake Friday morning off the southern Philippines killed at least five people, set off landslides, damaged hospitals and schools, and prompted evacuations of coastal areas nearby because of a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.