Powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Philippines

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao early Friday morning local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, prompting a tsunami warning for the local region. 

The earthquake, which struck at 9:43 a.m. local time, was centered in the Philippine Sea, about 12 miles east of the small town of Santiago, the USGS said. It occurred at a depth of about 36 miles.

A “destructive tsunami is expected with life-threatening wave heights” on the archipelago nation’s east coast, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported. Coastal residents in these areas “are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland,” it added.

It was not immediately clear if there was any damage or injuries from the quake.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no risk of a tsunami to Hawaii or the West Coast of the U.S. from the quake.

This follows a magnitude-6.9 earthquake which struck the Philippines on Sept. 30. That earthquake left dozens of people dead in the central Philippine province of Cebu and caused significant damage in the region.