Magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes southern Philippines

MANILA: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Friday, the country’s state seismology agency said, with no tsunami threat reported.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck about 90 kilometres southwest of Balut Island in Davao Occidental province at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Phivolcs said aftershocks were expected but ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.The latest earthquake comes weeks after a magnitude 7.8 quake struck Mindanao on June 8.

According to the Philippines’ civil defence agency, the death toll from the June 8 earthquake has risen to 81, while more than 1,000 people were injured.

Reuters reported that there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage from Friday’s earthquake.