The Phivolcs agency warned of damage and aftershocks after the strong offshore quake, which struck in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region. It said the quake happened at a depth of 10km (six miles).

The agency warned people living in coastal towns in the central and southern Philippines to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move further inland.

There were no immediate reports of damage. Phivolcs said wave heights of up to more than one metre (three feet) above normal tides could be expected in the next two hours.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 7.4 and at a depth of 58km (36 miles).

A tsunami warning was also issued in Indonesia for its northern Sulawesi and Papua regions, warning of waves as high as 50cm hitting Indonesia’s shorelines.