Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Strikes Off Southern Philippines

A magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Monday, just a week after a powerful quake in the same region killed at least 65 people and left dozens missing.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake hit off the coast of Mindanao island at 5:18 pm local time (0918 GMT) at a depth of 112 kilometres.

No tsunami warning was issued. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

"Our priority now is to monitor the coast to determine if there are indications the water had receded (a warning of an impending tsunami)," Kaiser Cadiz of the Davao Oriental provincial disaster office told AFP, adding that no such signs had been observed.

The latest quake comes after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, Monday, bringing down buildings, triggering landslides and displacing thousands across southern Philippines.

Earlier last week, the national disaster agency raised the death toll from that quake to 65, while at least 36 people remain missing.

The powerful tremor injured more than 630 people and damaged over 3,100 homes, along with roads, bridges and government buildings.

It also forced the closure of General Santos International Airport and disrupted classes in several provinces.

Most deaths were caused by collapsing structures and landslides in General Santos and nearby provinces, including Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.

The June 8 earthquake has been followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks, including several measuring above magnitude 6.

The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast zone of seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean.

Eastern Mindanao was also hit by magnitude-7.4 and 6.7 earthquakes in October last year, which killed at least eight people.