A strong earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude struck southern Philippines on Friday morning, with the local earthquake office anticipating damage and aftershocks.

Teresito Bacolcol, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, stated that his agency would issue a tsunami warning following the quake, which occurred about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the town of Manay in the southern Mindanao region at 9:43 a.m. (01:43 GMT).

The Philippine earthquake office issued a warning of a possible tsunami. Waves up to one meter high are expected to hit the country’s Pacific coast within the next two hours, and coastal residents in these areas were strongly advised to evacuate immediately to higher ground or move inland.