A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines on Friday (17), the German Geoscientific Research Center (GFZ) said. There have been no reports of casualties so far, although local authorities are monitoring for damage in the area.
According to GFZ, the earthquake occurred off the coast of Mindanao, near General Santos City, at a depth of 60 km. The Philippine seismology agency PHIVOLCS and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami was not expected.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean and is prone to seismic activity.
Amor Mio, police chief in the town of Koronadal, near the epicenter of the quake, said there were no reports of injuries but authorities were checking a shopping center that was believed to be damaged.
“The employees were evacuated for safety reasons. According to police in the area, there was significant damage, but we have not yet been able to determine the extent of the damage,” Mio said by phone.
PHIVOLCS director Teresito Bacolcol told DZRH radio that the intensity of the earthquake “was destructive, so we must expect (some) damage.”
The quake lasted several seconds, he said, and advised residents to watch out for aftershocks of magnitude 6.2.
General Santos City radio host Leny Aranego said the earthquake damaged walls and knocked computers off desks. “We saw the walls crack and the computers collapse.”
Economist Michael Ricafort said in a Facebook post that passengers at General Santos municipal airport were evacuated to the runway after feeling the earthquake.