A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Friday morning, killing at least two people, damaging a hospital and schools, knocking out power, and prompting evacuations of coastal areas due to a possible tsunami. The quake was centered at sea about 27 miles east of Manay town in Davao Oriental province and was caused by movement in the Philippine Trench at a depth of 14 miles. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the potential damage was being assessed and rescue teams and relief operations were being prepared. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology expected damage and aftershocks from the quake but canceled a tsunami warning it had issued. At least two people died after being pinned in damaged houses in Davao Oriental, and about 250 patients were evacuated from a damaged hospital. Several buildings sustained cracks in their walls, including an international airport in Davao city, but it remained operational. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said small waves were detected on the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia before the threat passed about two hours after the quake. The Philippines is still recovering from a Sept. 30 earthquake that left at least 74 people dead and displaced thousands of people in the central province of Cebu.
