Hundreds of aftershocks jolt Philippines as officials say death toll could rise

Hundreds of aftershocks have jolted southern Philippines after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake left dozens of people dead and hundreds more injured.

The scale of devastation on Mindanao island is becoming clear as emergency responders reach coastal cities and towns. Officials fear the death toll, which currently stands at 37 dead and 487 injured, could rise.

Buildings have collapsed and roads are either cracked or buried in landslides. Large swathes of the island still have no electricity or telephone connectivity.

The earthquake, which struck on Monday morning, triggered tsunami warnings in Indonesia, south of Mindanao and across Japan's Pacific coast, displacing tens of thousands of people.

"We hope the death toll does not increase further, but we are expecting it to move. Our priority today is search and rescue," Bernardo Alejandro, assistant secretary of the agency supervising disaster response, told DZMM radio.

Close to 2,000 homes and 6,000 public schools have been damaged by their estimate so far, he added.

The Philippines is routinely struck by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where there is increased seismic activity.

Monday's quake was caused by a movement on the Cotabato Trench, off the country's southern tip.