Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Strong quake shakes southern RP; no damage, injuries reported (12:00 p.m.)
MANILA -- An undersea earthquake shook the southern Philippines shortly before midnight Tuesday, close to an area struck by a stronger tremor last week, the government's earthquake monitoring agency said. No damage or injuries were reported.
The magnitude 5.3 quake struck at 11:56 p.m. Tuesday and was centered about 57 kilometers (36 miles) under the sea, 103 kilometers (64 miles) east of Prosperidad town, which is about 900 kilometers (560 miles) southeast of Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
The tremor was felt in Bislig and Butuan in the east of the main southern island of Mindanao, the institute said.
Seismologist Romy Tabanlar said the earthquake was caused by the movement of the Philippine Trench, a major fault line that runs along the east of the country.
A week ago, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck about 190 kilometers (119 miles) south of Tuesday's tremor.
The Philippines is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activities and earthquakes are common. (AP) |
