A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Philippines late on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor occurred at a depth of 59 kilometers (37 miles), roughly 10 kilometers from Cagwait town in the province of Surigao del Sur, on the island of Mindanao.
Local authorities reported no immediate casualties or major damage, though residents described the quake as short but powerful. “The duration of the quake was not that long, just around 30 seconds but it was so sudden and so strong. Our pots here in the fire station fell in our kitchen,” said Cagwait Fire Officer Arnel Besinga, speaking to AFP.
Emergency and rescue teams are currently conducting damage assessments, but officials noted that nighttime conditions are making inspections difficult.
It remains unclear whether this quake is an aftershock of the 6.7- and 7.4-magnitude tremors that struck off Manay town in the Mindanao region a day earlier, which left at least eight people dead.
These events come just days after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Cebu province, killing 75 people and injuring more than 1,200, according to government data.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a vast zone of seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan and Southeast Asia across the Pacific Ocean. The country’s deadliest recorded quake occurred in 1976, when an 8.0-magnitude earthquake off Mindanao’s southwest coast triggered a tsunami that killed or left missing around 8,000 people.
