Authorities warned of aftershocks and issued — then lifted — tsunami alerts after waves were detected near the epicentre.
According to the country’s seismology agency, the first earthquake measured 7.4 in magnitude and hit waters off the town of Manay in Davao Oriental province. The tremor triggered tsunami warnings for areas within 300 km of the epicentre, including parts of the Philippines and Indonesia. However, the alerts were later lifted after the threat level subsided.
Seven hours later, the same region was jolted again by another powerful 6.8-magnitude quake, prompting renewed tsunami warnings. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) cautioned that waves could rise more than one metre above normal tide levels.
Residents along coastal zones were “strongly advised to immediately evacuate” to higher ground or move inland. Emergency teams were dispatched to assess the damage, with early reports confirming collapsed structures, cracked roads, and power disruptions in several affected areas.
Officials said rescue operations are underway, and citizens have been urged to remain alert for aftershocks in the coming hours.
Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol described the twin earthquakes as a "doublet", two distinct earthquakes that occurred along a massive trench off the country s eastern seaboard.
There were initial reports of damage to homes, buildings and bridges, one official in Manay said, although the full extent of the damage in the Philippines was not immediately clear.
At least seven people were killed, civil defence official Ednar Dayanghirang said in a briefing. The fatalities were reported in towns and cities near the earthquake s epicentre.
The twin quakes were 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.
It came two weeks after the Philippines experienced its deadliest earthquake in more than a decade with 74 people killed on the central island of Cebu following an offshore quake of magnitude 6.9.
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A shakemap of the contours of the earthquake that shows where the earthquake struck struck offshore in the southern Philippines on October 10.
VEHICLES SHAKING, GATES RATTLING
A video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed people in the city of Davao calmly holding on to parked vehicles that rocked from side to side as the ground shook, as metal gates rattled nearby.
Richie Diuyen, a disaster official in Manay, said the quake lasted 30 to 40 seconds and damaged some homes and the facade of a church, while leaving cracked roads and unpassable bridges.
"We couldn t stand earlier. I am 46 years old now, and this is the strongest earthquake I ever felt," Diuyen said by phone.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said authorities were assessing the situation and search-and-rescue teams would fan out once it was safe.
"We are working round the clock to ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it," he said in a statement.
WARNING OF STRONG AFTERSHOCKS
Phivolcs warned of aftershocks and urged people in affected areas to stay away from the shoreline.
Verified footage from the southern Philippines showed workers filing out of buildings to gather in the streets, lamps swaying in shops, and offices with toppled cabinets and workers holding on to desks as structures and fittings around them creaked.
Video images from Indonesia s island of Sulawesi showed fishing boats returning from sea and children playing on a beach from which water had receded.
Phivolcs revised down the magnitude to 7.4 from an initial figure of 7.6, and put the quake s depth at 23 km (14 miles). The second quake was also downwardly revised to 6.8 from 6.9, with an depth of 37 km (23 miles).
The governor of Davao del Norte in the Philippines said people panicked when the earthquake struck.
"Some buildings were reported to have been damaged," Edwin Jubahib told broadcaster DZMM. "It was very strong."
