Magnitude 5.9 offshore quake strikes central Philippines

MANILA: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck off the central Philippines on Thursday (Jan 23), the country’s seismology agency said.

The offshore quake had a depth of 10km and was off the town of San Francisco in Leyte province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said in a bulletin.

The agency warned of damage and aftershocks from the shallow tremor.

Police major Barnie Catig, the town’s police chief, said the tremor was brief but strong.

“It was strong, some of the picture frames in our shelves fell off,” Catig said by phone.

Catig said there were no immediate reports of damage from the earthquake.

Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which is located in the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire”, where volcanic activity and earthquakes frequently occur.