A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook southern Philippines on Saturday at around 3:16 pm which was followed by three aftershocks more than two hours later, sending frightened residents fleeing from buildings, officials and eyewitnesses said.
The quake struck off the coast of the southern town of Manay in Davao Oriental at about 3:16 pm (0716 GMT) at a depth of 14 kilometers (8.6 miles), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a statement.
The institute said it expects the earthquake to have caused some damage but it and the local civil defense office said there were no immediate reports of serious destruction.
PHIVOLCS said it is expecting some aftershocks. The aftershocks were recorded at 5:18 p.m., 5:35 p.m. and 5:48 p.m.
The 6.4 magnitude quake was felt at intensity 5 in Davao City and Mati City in Davao Oriental; at intensity 4 in Koronadal City and Bislig City; at intensity 3 in Tupi, South Cotabato, and in Alabel, Glan and Malapatan in Sarangani province; and at intensity 2 in Cotabato City, Gen. Santos City, Valencia City, and Maramag in Bukidnon, and in Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental.
“A lot of people ran from their homes because a lot of items were falling inside,” Phivolcs science researcher John Deximo told AFP.
The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
At least two people were killed and scores injured when a 6.5-magnitude quake struck the central Philippines in July, 2017.
The most recent major quake to hit the Philippines was in 2013 when a 7.1-magnitude quake left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches in the central islands.
Eagle News Service with a report from Agence France-Presse
