Manila, August 6: A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale shook the province of Davao Occidental in southern Philippines early Thursday morning, causing panic among residents.
According to reports from the Xinhua News Agency, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology confirmed that the tectonic earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:41 AM local time. The epicenter was located 99 kilometers southwest of Balut Island.
The Manila Standard reported that while the tremors were strong, they did not warrant a tsunami warning. However, several affected provinces and areas announced the suspension of classes and government work, along with other public activities.
The quake’s tremors were felt near the Cotabato Trench, affecting parts of Sarangani Province, General Santos City, and South Cotabato. Phivolcs also reported significant shaking in Davao del Sur, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.
Harley Sauro, a rescuer from Sarangani Island, told Agence France-Presse that the earthquake struck while many people were gathered to receive government subsidies. “The tremors were quite intense. I saw people panicking, running and screaming. The earthquake occurred when the local government was distributing financial aid, so there were many people in the court, but everyone is safe. Based on our estimates and experience, we don’t believe there were any casualties or damage,” he said.
This earthquake comes just a day after another tremor of 6.4 magnitude was reported in Davao Occidental. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology indicated that this earlier quake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers at 12:14 PM local time and posed no tsunami threat to the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) noted that a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Mindanao region of the Philippines at 04:14:09 GMT on Wednesday. The epicenter was initially determined to be at 5.37 degrees north latitude and 125.45 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10.0 kilometers.
The Philippines, an island nation in Southeast Asia, frequently experiences earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire. This ring is a large, horseshoe-shaped zone of high seismic and volcanic activity surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
Prior to these recent earthquakes, a devastating quake on June 8 caused buildings to collapse, landslides, and resulted in the deaths of at least 76 people on an island near Mindanao. That quake shifted the Cotabato Trench and raised the sea floor by 2 meters (approximately 6.6 feet), damaging coral reefs and affecting marine ecosystems.
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