A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the Philippine island of Mindanao shortly before 7:40 a.m. local time Monday, killing at least 15 people, damaging buildings, and prompting tsunami alerts across Asia.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake occurred at 23:40 GMT Sunday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the initial quake was followed by more than an hour of aftershocks.
General Santos, a city of 722,000 in southern Mindanao, was among the hardest-hit areas. The Philippine seismology agency said the city, in the Soccsksargen region, experienced the quake at level 7, or “very strong,” on its 10-point intensity scale.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) could hit parts of the Philippines, while waves of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) were possible in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. By 04:00 GMT, the center said the tsunami risk had passed, though coastal residents should remain alert and follow local authorities’ instructions.
The largest tsunami waves were recorded in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province at about 0.83 meters Monday morning, the center said. Indonesia later canceled warnings for North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and the Sangihe Islands. Officials in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands also canceled earlier warnings, while a tsunami advisory remained in place for Japan’s southern coast and outlying islands.