Several provinces across southern Mindanao were rattled by a magnitude-6.4 earthquake about 37 kilometers off Balut Island, Sarangani in Davao Occidental at Wednesday noon with aftershocks expected but no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) initially reported the tremor at magnitude-7.0 and later downgraded it. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured it at magnitude-6.3 and traced its epicenter about 32 km southwest of Sarangani.
The seismic activity was strong but not enough to trigger a tsunami warning. Some affected provinces and localities, however, announced the suspension of classes and work in government offices as well as other public activities.
The tremor was located near the Cotabato Trench intense shaking felt across parts of Sarangani Province, General Santos City, and South Cotabato. Phivolcs also reported instrumental intensities in Davao del Sur, Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.
Sarangani Island rescuer Harly Sauro told Agence France Presse the quake had struck while a large number of people had gathered to receive a government subsidy.
“The shaking was quite strong. I saw people in panic. They were running and shouting,” he said.
“The earthquake came while the local government was giving a financial subsidy, so there were many people at the court, but everyone’s safe,” he added. “Based on our assessment and experience, we don’t think there will be casualties or damage.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center placed Wednesday’s quake at a depth of 62 kilometers.
The quake follows a powerful June 8 tremor that toppled buildings, triggered landslides and killed at least 76 people on the nearby island of Mindanao.
That earthquake, driven by a shifting of the Cotabato trench, raised the seabed by as much as two meters (6.6 feet), exposing coral and harming marine life.
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. —With Agence France Presse