MANILA, June 15, 2023 (AFP) – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the Philippines on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, as local authorities warned of aftershocks and possible damage.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 124 kilometres (77 miles) at around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) in waters about three hours’ drive from the capital Manila.
Calatagan municipality police chief Emil Mendoza said he and his staff rushed outside following the tremor, which was also felt over the country’s heavily populated heartland, including Manila.
“It was a bit strong. We had to run outside,” Mendoza told AFP.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but disaster authorities have been deployed to assess the impact of the tremor, Mendoza said.
Calatagan disaster officer Ronald Torres said the quake lasted between 30 seconds and a minute.
The earthquake sent people rushing out of buildings in the capital.
Diego Mariano, information officer at the civil defence office, said authorities were assessing the impact of the quake.
“As of now, no major damage or casualties as of reporting time. Assessment still ongoing,” Mariano told reporters in a message.
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.
In October 2013, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Bohol Island in the central Philippines, triggering landslides and killing more than 200 people.
Old Catholic churches in the Philippines were badly damaged. Nearly 400,000 were displaced and tens of thousands of houses were damaged due to the quake.