A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Philippines on Monday, killing 15 people and injuring more than 100, while a regional warning center issued a tsunami alert.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at a depth of 35 kilometers off the island of Mindanao.
Diego Mariano, spokesperson for the Civil Defense Office, said 12 people died in the Soccsksargen region on Mindanao, adding that 129 others were injured in the region. Three more people were killed in Davao Occidental province.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated in a bulletin that tsunami waves were possible "within the next three hours" along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea.
According to the center, waves could reach heights of between 1 and 3 meters above tide levels along Philippine coasts, and between 0.3 and 1 meter along the coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Japan's Meteorological Agency also issued a tsunami warning for its Pacific coastline, from the northern Okinawa Islands to eastern Tokyo.
The agency said: "People in the sea should exit the water immediately and stay away from the shore. Strong currents will persist, so please do not enter or approach the sea until the warning is lifted."
The Philippines — one of the world's most disaster-prone countries — frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.
Source: al jazeera