Magnitude 6.9 quake strikes off central Philippines

MANILA: An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck off the coast of central Philippines, said the US Geological Survey (USGS).

No immediate casualties or damages were reported, however the local seismology office warned of a possible “minor sea-level disturbance,” urging the locals in Leyte, Cebu and Biliran to refrain from going to the beach or the coast close to the said areas.

The epicentre of the quake was around 11 kilometres east-southeast of Calape__ a municipality in the province of Bohol that has a population of around 33,000 locals.

Earlier, the USGS reported a magnitude reading of 7.0, before revising it down.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake” and “no action is required”.

Quakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Most are too weak to be felt by humans, but strong and destructive ones come at random, with no technology available to predict when and where they might strike.

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Likewise, many other countries also suffered jolts through the the month of September.

On September 26, earthquake tremors were reported from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Jolts were also felt in Swat, Malakand, Lower Dir, Mardan, Charsadda and Shabqadar.

Just three days earlier to this, on September 23, a quake of magnitude 5.0 had also struck Peshawar. The epicenter of this quake was located approximately 20 kilometers from the neighbouring country, Afghanistan.

In the very first week of the month, tremors were also felt in several parts of the KP and the country’s capital. Strong jolts were reported in Peshawar, Khyber, Mohmand, Abbottabad and Mansehra as well where residents rushed out of homes and offices.

Sadly, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 also struck Afghanistan and parts of the country earlier in the same day. At least 1,411 had succumbed to these jolts, while 3,124 others were severely injured. Moreover, over 5,400 houses were also destroyed, the Taliban administration has said.