6.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines

MANILA: A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with local authorities warning of aftershocks and possible damage.

The shallow quake struck around 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) a few kilometers from the municipality of Maragusan in the mountainous province of Davao de Oro on the island of Mindanao.

This was announced by an employee of the Maragus civil protection office AFP that authorities were investigating reports of a landslide on a national highway.

“We have received no reports of other damage or casualties, but we are checking the villages around the city,” he added, without giving his name.

“Things in the office have been shaking but there has been no damage.”

Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Basin.

On February 15, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Masbate province in the center of the archipelago.