Zeenews Bureau
Manila: A major earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck off the eastern coast of the Philippines late Friday, triggering tsunami warnings across the region.
The quake was felt off the east coast of Samar province in the central Philippines at 8.47 pm local time on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
At least one house collapsed and power was knocked out in several Philippine cities, local radio reported.
A tsunami alert originally was issued for several countries including Japan and for Pacific islands as far away as the Northern Marianas, but most of them were soon lifted, leaving warnings only for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The epicentre of the quake was initially determined to be 146 km east of Samar with a depth of 34.9 km.
The head of the Philippine seismology agency, Renato Solidum, said that residents living along the coastline of eastern Samar Island were advised to evacuate to high ground in case of the tsunami.
A local radio station reported one houses collapsed in southern Cagayan de Oro city and there was no electricity in several other towns and cities across the central and southern Philippines.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
(With Agency inputs)
