Philippines: Earthquake off coast

(CNN) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 has struck off the coast of the Philippines, the U.S. Geological Survey said Friday.

The quake was about 20 miles deep, the agency said.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Guam and other areas, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

“An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours,” the tsunami warning center said.