Buildings collapse after powerful earthquake strikes off Philippines | ABC NEWS

Well buildings have collapsed and tsunami alerts have been issued after a powerful earthquake hit the Philippines.The magnitude 7 .8 quake struck off Mindanao in the country's south with video posted to social media showing significant damage and people huddling in the streets.Tsunami waves of up to three meters are possible across the Philippines archipelago.Well, let's bring in our correspondent, Tim Swanston, who is in Southeast Asia.Good afternoon to you, Tim.What do you know about the impacted area?

Has there been any report of damage right now?

Yeah, g'day Kath.Look, it is still quite early days into assessments being made as a result of this earthquake, which, as you said, struck off the south coast of Mindanao.It does appear, however, that there has been quite some significant damage to certain buildings there in the south of Mindanao.There's no immediate reports of casualties at this stage.However, we do know that local officials are conducting those assessments at this moment.Now, vision does show that fairly dramatic moment that the earthquake hit.

We can see residents that they were fleeing out of shops and businesses, of course out of their homes as well, out onto the street into safety.Some residents have told news organizations that this was the most powerful earthquake that they'd actually felt there in the south of the Philippines.Most of the damage that we've seen at this moment appears to be centered around General Santos City, which is a city of about 700 ,000 people.It's a major tuna processing city there in the far south of Mindanao.We can see vision of a fast food restaurant for example, that's collapsed, other vision of buildings that appear to have been damaged.There's also a school in the area which appears to have sustained some structural damage as well.

There also appears to be some damage as far sort of northeast of that to Davao City, which is the main city on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao as well.But local officials are of course conducting those assessments as we speak.There's been power and telecommunicationsin Manado, so it appears to have had quite a significant impact, Cath.

And what about the tsunami warnings?Have any been issued?What areas could potentially be impacted?

Yeah, perhaps unsurprisingly, that tsunami warning does cover quite a large swath of Southeast Asia.Of course, Philippines is the area of most concern.There's evacuations taking part in the southern part of Mindanao, of course, but there's been tsunami warnings that have also been issued for here in Indonesia.The north there, in North Sulawesi in particular, will be most of concern.But those tsunami warnings have also been issued for Malaysia.So we do know that evacuations are taking place in the south of the Philippines.

at this stage.There are also aftershocks that are still being felt by residents there.So still quite early days, Cath, as we're trying to figure out exactly what this impact has been, but certainly the region's on quite high alert.