Manila: An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck Mindanao, Philippines, on Saturday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), and tsunamis were expected to hit the Philippines and Japan shortly.

The quake originated at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), and the Philippines and Japan were expected to hit tsunamis.

The Philippine Seismology Agency PHIVOLCS said tsunami waves could hit the Philippines by midnight local time (1600 GMT) and could continue for hours.

The Japanese broadcaster NHK said tsunami waves of up to a metre (3 feet) high were expected to reach Japan's western coast a little later - by 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday).

The earthquake, as recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, was measured at magnitude 7.6 with a depth of 32 km (20 miles).

It occurred at 10:37 p.m. (1437 GMT). In the last month, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake off the southern Philippines resulted in the deaths of eight people.

Casualties resulting from the earthquake on November 17 were reported in Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Davao Occidental provinces.

Thirteen people sustained injuries from the tremor, causing widespread panic and damaging over 50 houses and other structures.

Earthquakes are frequent in the Philippines, lying in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", which the U.S. Geological Survey describes as the "most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world".