[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck waters south of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines at 7:37 a.m. Monday local time, killing at least one person. The quake also prompted Japan to issue a 1-meter tsunami warning along its Pacific coast.

The earthquake struck about 51 kilometers south of General Santos City at a depth of 35 kilometers.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially reported the quake's magnitude as 8.1 before revising it down to 7.8.

Aftershocks of magnitude 6.4 and 6.1 followed the main quake.

The shallow epicenter depth and General Santos City's population of roughly 680,000 have raised concerns that damage could be significant.

Police in General Santos City said the quake brought down multiple buildings, including residential structures, leaving at least one person dead and four others injured.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the Philippines and Malaysia, citing the possibility of a tsunami triggered by the quake.

Philippine earthquake authorities warned that waves exceeding 1 meter were expected and urged residents along southern coastal areas near the epicenter to evacuate immediately to higher ground or move inland.

They also warned that the earthquake and aftershocks could cause further damage.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning Monday morning for coastlines stretching from Ibaraki Prefecture in eastern Honshu to Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture.

The tsunami was expected to reach Japan's coast at heights of up to 1 meter, arriving between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday local time.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com