Southern Philippines rocked by 6.3-magnitude earthquake, leaving four people dead
- The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, with frequent typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic activity
- It lies on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, the arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s seismic activity occurs
The Office of Civil Defence said on Thursday morning that two people died and 18 were injured in a landslide set off by the quake in Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur province. ABS-CBN television network reported two more deaths elsewhere, including a girl hit by a collapsed house wall.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the 6.3-magnitude earthquake Wednesday night was centred 22km southeast of Tulunan in North Cotabato province at a relatively shallow depth of 8km. More than 200 aftershocks have been recorded.
The US Geological Survey placed the magnitude at 6.4 quake with a depth of 14km. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones.
OCD said at least 27 people were injured in the landslide in Magsaysay or from falling objects and collapsed concrete walls.
Some areas lost power, including the transport hub of Kidapawan city. A fire broke out in the Gaisano shopping centre in General Santos city soon after the quake, but there were no reports of people trapped.