Quake sparks deadly tsunami alert in Mindanao

A powerful offshore earthquake struck the southern Philippines early Monday, killing at least 12 people, damaging buildings in General Santos City and sending coastal residents racing to higher ground after tsunami waves hit parts of Mindanao. The magnitude was placed at 7.8 by global monitors, while domestic bulletins initially listed the tremor at 7.4. The quake struck at 7.37am local time, with its centre at sea near Sarangani province, south-west of General Santos, at a shallow depth that in