6.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines; warnings of aftershocks, possible damage issued

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with local authorities warning of aftershocks and possible damage.

The shallow quake struck at about 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), a few kilometres from Maragusan municipality in the mountainous province of Davao de Oro on Mindanao island.

An employee in the Maragusan disaster office told AFP that authorities were checking reports of a landslide on a national highway.

“We have not received any reports of other damage or casualties, but we are checking the villages around the town,” he added, declining to give his name.

“Things shook at the office but there was no damage.”

Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic as well as volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.