Rescuers race to reach trapped after powerful quake

Rescuers searched the rubble on Tuesday of a collapsed building in the southern Philippine city of General Santos, the worst hit by a powerful earthquake that has killed at least 37 people and injured hundreds, to reach two people still believed to be trapped inside.



Regional fire officer Edgar Tanawan, who is leading the operation, told Reuters two people had been pulled out alive from the commercial building, housing a grocery store and other businesses, but a third was found dead.



Scanners have so far detected no signs of life from the remaining two, he added.



The 7.8-magnitude quake, which triggered tsunami warnings across several countries, struck early on Monday morning about 20 km off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and as far as the city of Manado, 420 km away on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.



Officials said they hoped the death toll would not rise further as search and rescue operations continued, with more than 400 people injured and four still missing.



Scenes of devastation were visible in parts of General Santos, which is home to more than 700,000 people and now under a state of calamity, with several buildings collapsed and debris strewn across streets beneath a tangle of toppled power lines and utility posts.