Philippines, Indonesia Issue Tsunami Warnings After 7.4 Magnitude Quake

(BBC) Authorities in the Philippines have issued a tsunami warning after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the country’s Mindanao region on Friday morning.

Tsunami warnings have also been issued in Indonesia's northern Sulawesi and Papua regions, more than 300km away from the earthquake's epicentre.

Indonesia's geophysics agency says these regions are under threat.

Waves may reach up to a metre above normal tides for some coasts of Indonesia and Palau.

The first tsunami waves may arrive before 11:43 local time (03:43 GMT) and may last "for hours", Philippine authorities say.

The country's Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has asked residents living in coastal areas of affected provinces to “immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland.”

Phivolcs also advised boat owners to secure their vessels and move away from the waterfront.

The Philippine seismology agency is warning of a "destructive tsunami" with " "life threatening wave heights".

Its expecting waves to surge more than one metre above normal tides, and even higher "on enclosed bay and straits".