Evacuations were underway in the Philippines after an earthquake of at least magnitude 7.5 struck the southern region of Mindanao on Saturday night, triggering tsunami warnings in the country and in Japan.

Tsunami waves of 40 cm in Japan after Philippines earthquake:

The initial quake struck at a depth of 32 kilometres at 10:37pm local time (1:37am AEDT) about 21 kilometres north-east of Hinatuan municipality on Mindanao island, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The area was quickly hit by more than two dozen aftershocks, the largest measuring magnitude 6.5, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The initial quake triggered tsunami warnings and orders for coastal residents to flee to higher ground, though the US Tsunami Warning System later said the risk of large waves had passed.

Coronal Hole hyper-time foreshadow of the Philippine Plate