A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck the southern Philippines.
The earthquake rocked the Mindanao region about 7.30am on Monday, local time, with US Geological Survey saying the quake struck undersea at about 24.7km west-southwest of Burias and at a depth of 35km.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a tsunami warning for possible waves up to 3m in the Philippines, with warnings also mentioning possible 1m waves in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Residents in Mindanao’s coastal communities have been urged to move to higher ground and to listen to tsunami warnings.
The earthquake prompted the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC), which operates within the Bureau of Meteorology, to place the Northern Territory and Christmas Island on Tsunami watch.
Footage shared on social media shows a building with a Jollibee fast-food chain logo collapsing as stunned locals watch on.
A media release from Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he had directed government agencies to immediately respond, with the office of Civil Defense coordinating disaster response and rescue operations.
Evacuation centres and relief supplies have also been organised as damage assessments are carried out by local government authorities.
Marcos also ordered the suspension of classes and has closed all schools in the affected areas in Mindanao until further notice.
The Philippines is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, and sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, which refers to an area of seismic fault lines and volcanoes.
Several fatal earthquakes struck the Philippines last year, including a 6.9 magnitude quake that rocked the coast of Cebu in September, killing at least 72 people and causing extensive damage.
Buildings collapse in Philippines and tsunami evacuations ordered after powerful earthquake
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