6.8 magnitude of earthquake hit Southern Philippines; no tsunami risk seen

Manila, Dec 15: A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Sunday, geologists said, the same area struck by a string of deadly tremors in October. The epicentre was south of the populous city of Davao, but the US Geological Survey said there was a "low likelihood of casualties and damage".

There was no threat of a tsunami, said the USGS, which initially reported the magnitude at 6.9.

The Philippines suffers regular tremors as part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

One of the deadliest quakes to hit the Philippines recently was in April, when 16 people were killed as a building near the capital Manila collapsed and the secondary Clark airport was shut down due to damage to the passenger terminal. High-rise structures in the capital swayed after the April quake, leaving some with large cracks in their walls.