Manila [Philippines], June 8 (ANI): At least five people lost their lives in the strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake which hit the southern island of Mindanao in the early hours of Monday, according to a report by Xinhua citing a local official.

As per Xinhua news, Agripino Dacera, the disaster management chief in General Santos City, said authorities are still verifying the extent of the fatalities and damage.

On Monday, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported, citing the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), that Secretary Rex Gatchalian has ordered immediate coordination with local government units and that over 1.1 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) in Mindanao are available for augmentation to affected families and individuals.

The DSWD's Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) has also reported that as of June 2, there are 4.7 million FFPs prepositioned nationwide and are available for immediate release during disasters and emergencies, as noted by PNA.

He further noted that the Quick Response Teams (QRTs) of DSWD FOs are also on standby and continuously monitoring and coordinating with LGUs for possible resource augmentation.

'DSWD is more than ready to provide immediate response by supporting the needs of the affected families in the entire Mindanao. In fact, we have directed all Field Offices to coordinate closely with the LGUs and deploy social workers in designated evacuation centres to work with the local social workers,' he said.

Gatchalian also ordered the concerned FOs to deploy their mobile command centres, mobile kitchens, and other needed equipment and resources.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police shared updates from its press conference conducted earlier today and provided the latest update on the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, underscoring the PNP's continued readiness and coordination with concerned agencies in times of emergencies.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said on Monday morning that emergency agencies had been activated, including the Office of Civil Defence and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The country's authorities said people in nine provinces - including Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu - should immediately evacuate to higher ground or further inland, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Evacuation orders were also issued in Indonesia for parts of northern Sulawesi, northern Gorontalo province and the Sangihe Islands, and the residents were urged to move to higher ground.

Al Jazeera further reported that officials in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia have issued alerts warning of hazardous waves and advising citizens in coastal areas to get to safety.

The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said earlier that tsunami waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 feet) could hit coastal areas of the Philippines, and waves of up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) were possible in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

According to Japan's Meteorological Agency, the first waves were expected to hit the Philippines and parts of Indonesia at about 10am local time, followed by southern Japan and Taiwan at about 11am (local time), and Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands an hour later. (ANI)