A tsunami warning was issued and then lifted for the Philippines after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the southern island of Mindanao.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck 193km (120 miles) east of the Philippine city of

General Santos, at a depth of 60km (37 miles).

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

#PTWC did not observe #tsunami waves on the sea-level gauges closest to the 7.2 mag. #earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines, so there is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake.https://t.co/YsXzdRoEkp — NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) December 29, 2018

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially said: "Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300km (186 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines."

The warning for tsunami waves was lifted two hours after the quake struck.


Image: An initial tsunami warning was withdrawn. Pic: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

The UGSC initially said the magnitude of the quake was 7.2 but later downgraded it to 6.9.

Residents said the earthquake lasted about a minute and people rushed out of buildings, but there had been no major damage.

Jonna Ramos, who works at the Anchor Hotel in General Santos, told Reuters: "I was at the front desk and saw the chandeliers swaying."

Clinton Polancos, an official in the southern district of Governor Generoso, said: "We've alerted the communities for possible tsunami.

"We're fine. The earthquake was not destructive."

A tsunami triggered by the island volcano Anak Krakatau last weekend killed more than 430 people in Indonesia.

The Philippines and Indonesia are both on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a horse-shoe shaped band of volcanoes and fault lines circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean.