A MASSIVE earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has rocked a southern island of the Philippines.
Thousands of people have been told to evacuate after authorities warned of a “destructive tsunami” in the aftermath of the quake.
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A video of the quake from the Philippine city of Davao showed office workers holding on to desks, with the creaking noises of structures.
Another showed toppled cabinets and evacuated workers gathering outside.
A disaster official in Manay near the epicentre said the quake lasted 30-40 seconds.
They said initial damage included some houses, the facade of a church, cracked roads and unpassable bridges.
Meanewhile, at least one person was killed in the Mindanao region, authorities confirmed.
The governor of Davao Oriental province also confirmed that several buildings have been damaged.
Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippines’ president, said his government was working “round the clock” to help with the situation.
He said: “We are now assessing the situation on the ground and ensuring that everyone is safe.
“Search, rescue, and relief operations are already being prepared and will be deployed as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The tsunami threat has now passed, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
However, warnings are still 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.
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat immediately after the quake, saying hazardous waves were possible for coasts within 186 miles of the earthquake’s epicentre.
A tsunami warning was also issued in Indonesia for its northern Sulawesi and Papua regions.
Authorities warn that some coasts in Indonesia and the Pacific island nation of Palau could see waves of up to 1 metre.
The earthquake came two weeks after the Philippines experienced its deadliest quake in more than a decade – killing with 74 people.
That was a magnitude of 6.9 and also struck offshore.
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People were trapped in houses, nightclubs and other buildings after the quake struck off the coast of Cebu island.
Army troops, police and civilian volunteers were deployed alongside sniffer dogs in house-to-house searches for survivors.
Around half the deaths were recorded in Bogo, a north-eastern coastal town of 90,000 people, and the toll is expected to rise, officials said.
Some died nearby when a landslide buried a shanty mountain village.
Twelve others were killed in Medellin town after ceilings and walls of houses gave way.
And five people, including three coastguards and a firefighter, died in San Remigio when a basketball game was disrupted.
Residents described terrifying scenes as concrete walls crumbled, power was knocked out, and huge cracks split concrete roads.
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