India, Oct. 10 -- Panic spread across the Philippines on Friday after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake triggered a "destructive tsunami." The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology had also warned of damage and aftershocks from the earthquake, which hit about 20 kilometres from Manay in the Mindanao region.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later lifted the tsunami warning and only small waves were detected on the Indonesian and Philippine coasts. However, even after the tsunami threat had passed, the agency cautioned that small sea fluctuations may continue.

The country's president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ordered the evacuation of a few coastal areas in the central and southern Philippines after the tsunami warning was is...