Strong earthquake shakes southern Philippines

The U.S. Geological Survey said there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami threat. Deep earthquakes generally cause less damage on the Earth’s surface.

Manila: A powerful earthquake shook parts of the southern Philippines on Thursday night, but authorities said it was too deep to cause major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake measured a preliminary 7.0 magnitude and was located 95.8 kilometres (60 miles) below the sea and about 210 kilometres (130 miles) southeast of Pondaguitan in Davao Occidental province, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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The earthquake was felt in nearby cities and provinces in the region, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.