7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes part of southern Philippines. Tsunami forecast for some coasts

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines early Monday, and a tsunami was possible on some regional coasts.

No information on damage was immediately available.

The epicenter was 24.7 kilometers (15.3 miles) west-southwest of Burias, Philippines, and had a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck at 7:37 a.m.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves were possible in the Philippines and Malaysia.

The Philippines, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.