At least three people have died after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines at 07:37 local time (23:37 GMT) and a tsunami was possible on some regional coasts, warned authorities.

Five people have also been injured in the quake, police said.

The epicentre was 13km south-west of General Santos city on the island of Mindanao and had a depth of 10km, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in its initial report. It struck at 7.37am.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude at 7.8 and the depth at 55.2km.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves up to 10 feet were possible on some coasts of the Philippines. Waves up to 3 feet were possible on some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.