At least five people have been reported dead after a 7.8-magnitude offshore earthquake that hit the southern Philippines, according to a local disaster official.
Agripino Dacera, the disaster management chief in General Santos City, said authorities are still verifying the extent of the fatalities and damage.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 km, with the epicenter 32 km southwest of the coast of Maasim town in Sarangani Province on Mindanao Island, close to General Santos, with a population of some 700,000.
The institute said the highest wave recorded reached 1.4 meters. The local media reported that some buildings collapsed and caused power outages. Tremors were felt in neighboring provinces.
Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos ordered disaster response and monitoring efforts across affected areas and urged residents to move to higher ground for evacuation.
The Philippines experiences frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of major tectonic plate boundaries known for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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