A powerful 6.7 magnitude undersea earthquake shook the southern Philippines on Friday killing a married couple, reported TIME citing officials. The tremor occurred in the southern Mindanao region at around 4:14 p.m. local time. According to the Associated Press, no tsunami warning has been issued so far. Angel Dugaduga, a disaster response official in the coastal town of Glan near the epicentre, said 18 people were injured based on an initial report.
The town's municipal office building and gymnasium were also damaged by the earthquake, which also knocked out the electricity supply, he added. Videos on social media show people screaming as part of the ceiling of a mall falls off due to the tremors. People could be seen running and taking shelter as tremors trembled through the region.
Initially, the magnitude was logged at 7.2, but the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) later downgraded the same to 6.8, local news reported, as per Reuters.
Corporal Christopher Laraño, of General Santos City Police Station 4, told TIME in a phone call at around 1 a.m. Saturday local time that his police station now "had two victims of the earthquake." A married couple, believed to be an 18-year-old female and a 26-year-old male, died when a wall fell on them, he said.
"I think it was the strongest earthquake I've ever experienced," Keeshia Leyran, 27, told AFP from Davao City, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the epicentre. "People around me were panicking and running to go outside," she added
According to NCB News, the presidential palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed officials and agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone affected by the tremor.
Meanwhile, videos shared by local news outlets showed people being evacuated from a hospital and huddling on the floor of a shopping mall in General Santos City in South Cotabato.
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