A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the southern Philippines on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, with local authorities issuing a warning of potential damage and aftershock.
The shallow quake struck at around 2:00 pm (06:00 GMT), a few kilometres from Maragusan municipality in the mountainous gold-mining region of Davao de Oro on Mindanao island.
Although shallow earthquakes often do more damage than deeper ones, no immediate verifiable reports of significant damage were made.
Inside reports from the Maragusan Disaster office say that authorities were, however, investigating reports of a landslide on the national highway.
“We have not received any reports of other damage or casualties, but we are checking the villages around the town,” an employee stated, declining to give his name.
“Things shook at the office but there was no damage.”
According to Corporal Stephanie Clemen of the police in the city of Tagum, which is roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Maragusan, the quake lasted for around 30 seconds and was followed by aftershocks.
The Philippines, which is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region of strong seismic and volcanic activity that spans from Japan through Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific basin, experiences quakes on a daily basis.
While most are too weak for humans to feel, there are those that are strong and devastating that happen randomly with no way to predict their location or timing.
The nation’s civil defence office often organises drills simulating earthquake scenarios near active fault lines.
Northern Philippines saw its most recent large earthquake in October.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the mountain town of Dolores in the Abra province injured a number of people, destroyed structures, and knocked off electricity for the vast majority of the area.
In July of last year, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the mountainous Abra region caused landslides and ground fissures, killing 11 people and injuring hundreds more.
