MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A tsunami alert has been lifted after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the Philippines late today.

The quake killed at least one person in a house collapse and knocked out power in several towns.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning center says a tsunami alert originally was issued for several countries in the region including Indonesia and Japan and for Pacific Islands as far away as the Northern Marianas, but they were all later lifted.

Initial warnings of a possible substantial tsunami prompted many coast residents in the Philippines to head to high ground.

Geophysicist Paul Caruso with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Information Center says the quake doesn't seem to have had much impact on land. Caruso also says the quake was a strong one, centered deep beneath the ocean off the Philippines.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.