Earthquake of magnitude 6.8 shakes Philippines, aftershocks expected

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the southern Philippines on Saturday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage.

The shallow quake hit at 8.20am UAE time, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) National Seismic Network.

The quake hit at a depth of 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) about 20 kilometres from the village of Barcelona on the east of Mindanao island, the USGS said.

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It did not trigger a tsunami alert, according to the US Tsunami Warning System and the Philippine seismological agency.

The local seismological agency also said no damage was expected from the earthquake, but it warned of aftershocks.

In Lingig municipality, where Barcelona is located, local disaster officer Ian Onsing said he was woken by the shaking.

"The shaking was quite strong. The things around here were moving. I guess, the shaking took around 10-15 seconds," Onsing told AFP by telephone.

"I'm not expecting any more damages, but we will go around the area again around 8.00am just to be sure," he said.

"So far, there are no reported casualties or damages. We are now monitoring the shores for any rough movement."

Earthquakes regularly strike the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

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