An offshore magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits the southern Philippines on Monday. It kills at least 12 people. It injures more than 200. Officials also report a 1-meter tsunami near coasts. The quake is the strongest this year. It is near Maasim town in Sarangani province.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the tsunami threat passes about five hours later. Philippine officials say there are no reports of tsunami damage or deaths. Teresito Bacolcol is the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. He says damage is expected. Videos already show damaged buildings.

General Santos is a port city. It has more than 700,000 people. It is among the hardest hit. Officials say at least seven people die there. They say about 130 people are injured. Some small buildings partly collapse. A key bridge gets dangerous cracks. Authorities also check reports of students trapped in a collapsed two-story school.

Five other deaths are reported in South Cotabato, Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island. More than 100 students at morning flag ceremonies suffer bruises or faint in panic, officials say. The airport in General Santos closes for a short time. Seventeen domestic flights are canceled. Aftershocks follow the quake. Smaller tsunami waves are also found in Indonesia and Malaysia.