COTABATO CITY—A moderately strong earthquake, measured at 6-magnitude by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), struck at sea off Tarragona town in Davao Oriental on Thursday morning, but disaster response and local officials did not report any damage or casualties.
The United States Geological Survey placed the quake’s magnitude at 6.2.
A Phivolcs bulletin said the quake’s epicenter was at 42 kilometers southeast of Tarragona. It struck at 11:53 a.m. and was felt at Intensity 4 in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Mati and at Intensity 1 in Bislig City.
Personnel from the regional police office in Davao City said they did not feel the quake. “We have not had any reports of casualties or damage,” police officer Hasmin Mondilla told Agence France-Press (AFP) by telephone.
About two hours before the earthquake hit Tarragona, the Phivolcs recorded weaker quakes in other areas of Mindanao. A 3.2-magnitude quake jolted Governor Generoso town in Davao Oriental at 10:25 a.m., while another quake, measured at 2.8-magnitude, hit Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental at 10:42 am.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. —REPORTS FROM JEOFFREY MAITEM AND AFP