The very powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake centered in the sea south of a Philippine island has claimed the lives of at least 15 people, while another 129 were injured as buildings collapsed across the archipelago.

According to the director of the Philippines’ Civil Defense Office, 12 of the fatalities were recorded in the Soccsksargen region, which includes four provinces and one city: Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City. He added that at least 129 people were injured in the area.

“A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses were also reduced to rubble,” said Robert Dagan, a police officer in General Santos City, a major urban center on Mindanao.

Initially, the quake was estimated at magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale early Monday morning local time in the Mindanao region of southern Philippines. The tremor occurred in a maritime area south of General Santos City and was felt across a wide area. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake measured 7.8 and occurred at a depth of approximately 35 kilometers.

As expected, the extremely powerful tremor caused panic among people who were inside buildings when it struck.

Even in open areas, the earthquake triggered panic, as shown in video footage that followed.

According to seismic data, the earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time on Monday (2:37 a.m. Greek time), and a tsunami warning was issued.

The epicenter was located in the Mindanao region in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago. It was approximately 56 kilometers south of General Santos City, one of the region’s largest cities, with a population of around 679,000.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) reported that a tsunami could occur “within the next three hours” and potentially affect the coastlines of the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and even Japan.

Authorities continue to assess the situation in areas closest to the epicenter. Videos uploaded to social media platforms reportedly show buildings collapsing.

According to the PTWC, waves of 1 to 3 meters could strike the Philippines, while waves of 0.3 to 1 meter could affect Indonesia and Malaysia.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) also issued a tsunami warning along its coastlines, from the southern island of Okinawa to areas east of Tokyo. Waves were expected to begin reaching Japanese shores around 11:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. Greek time) and were not expected to exceed 1 meter, according to the agency.

The strength of the earthquake has raised significant concern, as it is one of the most powerful tremors recorded in the region in recent years.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity where powerful earthquakes occur frequently.

Authorities are closely monitoring developments, and further announcements regarding the impact of the powerful seismic event are expected.