Mon, May 31, 2010
COTABATO CITY, Philippines, May 31 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale hit several parts of southern Philippines on Monday evening, the United States Geological Service reported.
The quake was recorded at 6:16 pm with the epicenter at 45 kilometers or 25 miles southwest of Cotabato City in central Mindanao region of south Philippines. It has a depth of 33 km, the US Geological Survey said.
The tremor was also felt in the cities of Pagadian and General Santos. There were no reported damages and casualties. but, people in Cotabato city were scared.
George Untong, a government employee in Cotabato, said the quake was so strong that his two story concrete house shook.
People in some houses said compact discs and books placed on shelves fell to the ground.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
The worst earthquake in the country happened on August 16, 1976, when an earthquake-triggered tsunami killed between 5,000 and 8, 000 people in the Moro Gulf region in southern Philippines.
