Via PhilStar.com, the first detailed report: 7.7 quake off Philippines triggers tsunami alert. Excerpt:
A 7.7-magnitude undersea quake struck off the eastern coast of Samar province on Friday night, triggering tsunami warnings across a wide swath of Asia.
Undersecretary Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said in a radio interview that an old woman was confirmed killed and a boy injured in a landslide in Cagayan de Oro City, which took place after the earthquake.
Meanwhile, a report by radio dzMM said that a house in Agusan del Sur province was hit by a fire. The report said that the fire was sparked by a gas lamp that was toppled during the earthquake.
There were some reports of cracked roads after the quake. Local officials in Samar province are confirming a report that a bridge collapsed.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the quake struck 112 kilometers southeast of Guian, Samar. The quake, which was tectonic in origin, took place at 8:47 p.m.
The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 7.9. It later said that the quake measured at 7.6 in the Richter scale. It said that the quake hit at a depth of 34.9 kilometers and was centered 106 kilometers (66 miles) east of Sulangan town on Samar Island.