The coast of the southern Philippines has been severely hit by an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude in the early hours of Saturday, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). However, with this much frequency of seismic activity recorded, there is still no tsunami warning issued by the department against the Mindanao Earthquake. According to reports from the local seismology agency, the earthquake occurred at 6:30 am (2230 GMT) and stretched about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the village of Barcelona on the east coast of Mindanao Island.
It was the time when strong jolts woke people up from sleeping. However, fortunately, no damage was reported from the Mindanao earthquake.
The local disaster officer in the locality stated, “The shaking was quite strong. The things around here were moving. I guess, the shaking took around 10–15 seconds. So far, there have been no reported casualties or damage. We are now monitoring the shores for any rough movement.” It should be noted that the Philippines is a location that is prone to frequent earthquakes as it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
If we look at the seismological history of this location, it can be observed that in last year, December, Mindanao was struck by a strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake which also triggered a tsunami warning. As of now, a 6.8 magnitude Mindanao earthquake has triggered a series of aftershocks which are felt by the citizens across Mindanao. In the words of the locality officer, “Aftershocks are happening here every two minutes, but we’re glad it’s not as strong as the earthquake this morning.”
