Magnitude 6.0 quake hits off southern Philippines

MANILA: A magnitude-6.0 earthquake jolted just off the coast of southern Philippines late Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said.

The USGS reported the tremor to occur at a depth of 59 kilometres (37 miles), and about 10 kilometres from Cagwait town in the province of Surigao del Sur.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the quake, Cagwait Fire Officer Arnel Besinga told AFP.

“The duration of the quake was not that long, just around 30 seconds but it was so sudden and so strong. Our pots here in the fire station fell in our kitchen,” Besinga said.

Rescue and fire authorities were conducting a joint assessment of the damage. “We cannot say the extent of the damage at this point, if there are any, because it’s already night and it’s dark here,” Besinga said.