At least seven killed as two powerful quakes strike off southern Philippines

A motorbike is driven past a house that was damaged by a strong earthquake in Manay town, Davao Oriental province, southern Philippines (Jeoffrey Maitem/AP)

Two powerful offshore earthquakes struck the same region in the southern Philippines hours apart on Friday, with the first 7.4 magnitude tremor killing at least seven people, setting off landslides and prompting evacuations of coastal areas nearby because of a brief tsunami scare.

The second one had a preliminary 6.8 magnitude and also sparked a local tsunami warning by authorities.