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A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck offshore in the southern Philippines on Friday, with tsunami warnings issued in several countries and people in nearby coastal areas urged to move inland or to higher ground, Reuters reported citing the country’s seismology agency.
Agency Phivolcs warned of aftershocks from the quake, which struck in the morning in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region, according to Reuters.
At least one person was killed, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro said on Facebook.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an update around noon local time saying the tsunami threat in the Philippines had passed, having earlier said waves 1 to 3 metres high were possible, although warnings from other agencies remained in place.
The quake was among the strongest in recent years to hit the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences more than 800 quakes each year, according to Reuters.