An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale was felt early this Friday in the southern Philippines, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website.
No tsunami warning has been issued, but local authorities anticipate possible damage.
The underwater earthquake was located 26 kilometers from Burias, on the island of Mindanao, in the extreme south of the Philippines, at a depth of 78 kilometers, according to the USGS.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.2 and said it had occurred just 10 kilometers deep.
“I think it was the strongest earthquake I have ever experienced,” Keeshia Leyran, 27, told AFP, who was at a conference in Davao City, about 200 kilometers from the epicenter.
“People around me panicked and ran to get out. There are hundreds of people here at the event, so to be honest, I was more afraid that there would be a stampede.”
The Philippines periodically experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.
Source: TSF
