Powerful 6.7-Magnitude Quake Jolts Southern Philippines Weeks After Deadly Tremor

Manila – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Friday evening, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking parts of Mindanao less than three weeks after a powerful earthquake in the same region killed more than 80 people.

The earthquake occurred at 7:42 p.m. local time (1142 GMT) at a depth of 65.7 km (41 miles), with its epicenter located about 21 km southwest of the town of Sarangani on Mindanao island, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage following the quake. Authorities also issued no tsunami warning, indicating that the earthquake was not expected to generate hazardous sea waves.

Data shared by earthquake monitoring platform GlobalQuake indicated that approximately 6.4 million people experienced the tremor, with an estimated 168,100 people located in areas where shaking was strongest. The figures were preliminary and had not been independently verified by Philippine authorities.

The latest earthquake struck in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast arc of seismic faults and volcanoes where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently due to the movement of tectonic plates.

The tremor comes less than three weeks after a major earthquake struck the same part of the southern Philippines, leaving more than 80 people dead and highlighting the region’s continued vulnerability to seismic hazards.