Manila, June 8 : At least five people have been reported dead after a 7.8-magnitude offshore earthquake that hit the southern Philippines, according to a local disaster official.

Agripino Dacera, the disaster management chief in General Santos City, said authorities are still verifying the extent of the fatalities and damage, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 km, with the epicentre 32 km southwest of the coast of Maasim town in Sarangani Province on Mindanao Island, close to General Santos, with a population of some 700,000.

The institute said the highest wave recorded reached 1.4 meters. The local media reported that some buildings collapsed and caused power outages. Tremors were felt in neighbouring provinces.

The institute issued a tsunami warning to nine coastal provinces, strongly advising residents in those areas to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move farther inland following the quake.

It is forecast that the first tsunami waves will arrive on Monday morning and continue for hours.

The local media reported that the quake damaged some buildings and caused a power outage.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos ordered disaster response and monitoring efforts across affected areas and urged residents to move to higher ground for evacuation.

The quake occurred offshore near Mindanao, the second-largest island in the Philippines, situated in one of the most seismically active areas worldwide, as per local media accounts.

The Philippines experiences frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of major tectonic plate boundaries known for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

/IANS