5.7-magnitude quake shakes Philippines’ main island

A strong earthquake hit off the Philippines’ main island Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage, the US Geological Survey and local officials said.

The deep 5.7-magnitude quake struck off Batangas province on Luzon island at 1:12 am (1712 GMT), with residents in the nearby capital of Manila woken by their buildings shaking.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 98 kilometres (60 miles), the USGS said. The local seismological agency warned of damage and aftershocks.

Deep quakes tend to do less damage than shallow tremors.

But authorities near the epicentre said they had not received any reports of damage.

“It was really strong,” Jose Clyde Yayong, a disaster officer in Tagaytay city in the neighbouring province of Cavite.

“So far there are no untoward incidents relating to the earthquake.”

Leonardo Tristan, a disaster officer in Looc town on Occidental Mindoro island, said the force of the quake sent some residents rushing outside.

“My wife was shouting ‘there’s an earthquake!'” Tristan told AFP.

The Philippines is regularly rocked by quakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.