REUTERS, Manila

The death toll in a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao yesterday has risen to at least 32 with dozens of people injured, disaster officials said, as Manila stepped up search and rescue operations.

The quake, which triggered tsunami warnings across several countries, hit early in the morning about 20 km (12.4 miles) off Sarangani province, with the tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420 km (261 miles) away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The Philippines mobilised military and disaster response teams and authorities were verifying preliminary reports of 32 people killed and 134 injured across Mindanao, mostly from falling debris and landslides, according to civil defence officials.

Tsunami warnings were cancelled after more than six hours in the southern Philippines, northern Indonesia and the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, where residents in coastal areas had been told to evacuate immediately to higher ground.

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