[kellyhound]

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck offshore in the southern Philippines on Friday, its seismology agency said, with tsunami warnings issued in several countries and people in nearby coastal areas urged to move inland or to higher ground.

Agency Phivolcs warned of aftershocks from the quake, which struck in the morning in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region. At least one person was killed, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an update around noon local time saying the tsunami threat in the Philippines had passed, having earlier said waves 1 to 3 metres high were possible, although warnings from other agencies remained in place.

There were no other reports of casualties from disaster offices in the region contacted by Reuters, but one official in Manay said there were initial reports of damage to homes, buildings and bridges.

The quake was among the strongest in recent years to hit the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences more than 800 quakes each year.