A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least one person, collapsing buildings, and sparking tsunami warnings across the region.
Authorities in the Philippines and Indonesia urged residents in affected coastal regions to move to higher ground immediately, after the offshore quake hit about 24 kilometres west of Mindanao island's Sarangani province, the United States Geological Survey said.
The earthquake caused the collapse of at least one building in General Santos, a tuna-processing city of more than 700,000 people that is also a commercial hub in the south.
"As of now, there is one reported death and four injured. This is only an initial report," said Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police.
"Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues," he added.
