No casualties after 6.3 quake rattles southern Philippines

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), sending residents fleeing but causing no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake struck at 12:14 p.m. local time (0414 GMT), with its epicenter located 32 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of the island of Sarangani, the USGS said. No tsunami warning was issued following the tremor, The Daily Star reports.

Harly Sauro, a rescuer on Sarangani Island, said the earthquake occurred while a large crowd had gathered to receive government financial assistance.

"The shaking was quite strong. I saw people in panic. They were running and shouting," Sauro said.

"The earthquake came while the local government was giving a financial subsidy, so there were many people at the court, but everyone's safe," he added.

"Based on our assessment and experience, we don't think there will be casualties or damage."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center estimated the earthquake's depth at 62 kilometres.

The tremor comes less than two months after a powerful earthquake struck the nearby island of Mindanao on June 8, toppling buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least 76 people.

That earlier earthquake, caused by movement along the Cotabato Trench, lifted sections of the seabed by as much as two meters (6.6 feet), exposing coral reefs and causing damage to marine ecosystems.

Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a seismically active belt stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean.

By Vafa Guliyeva