5.1 magnitude quake strikes parts of Southern, Central Mindanao

Digos City, Davao del Sur (Wikipedia map)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck  parts of Southern and Central Mindanao on Thursday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The tremor, tectonic in origin, was recorded around 2:27 p.m. with Digos City in Davao del Sur as epicenter.

The tremor was also felt in Davao City and Sarangani province.

There has not been a report of  damage as of this posting.

On February 10, eight people died while hundreds were injured when a 6.7 magnitude temblor jolted the city of Surigao.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

The worst earthquake in the country happened on August 16, 1976 after a tsunami caused by a quake killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people in the Moro Gulf region in southern Philippines.  SFM/rga