Southern Philippines struck by 6.1-magnitude earthquake

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook southern Philippines on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported, just a week after two powerful quakes hit the country.

Provincial rescuer Ralph Cadalena told AFP that there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. “We felt a sudden strong shake, but it lasted only for a very short time,” he said.

The tremor struck near Dapa municipality in Surigao del Norte province at a depth of around 69 kilometers (43 miles), according to USGS.

This comes a week after two quakes measuring 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude struck the eastern part of Mindanao island, killing at least eight people.

Earlier, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake had hit Cebu province in central Philippines, killing 76 people and damaging or destroying around 72,000 homes, according to government figures.

Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” a zone of high seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

An 8.0-magnitude quake off Mindanao island’s southwest coast in 1976 unleashed a tsunami that left 8,000 people dead or missing, the Philippines’ deadliest natural disaster.