6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Philippines
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the central Philippines on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, though there were no reports of casualties or significant damage.
The strong and shallow quake struck just off the coast of Masbate province in the centre of the archipelago nation shortly after 2 am (1800 GMT).
The epicentre was 11 kilometres from the coastal village of Miaga in Masbate's Uson municipality, USGS said.
The Philippine seismological agency said it had recorded more than 80 aftershocks.
Masbate provincial disaster officer Adonis Dilao told local media some buildings in the capital Masbate City had cracks in their walls, including the provincial hospital.
A section of the ceiling inside a sports and entertainment venue in the city also collapsed.
Quakes are frequent in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', an arc of intense seismic as well as volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
A 7.0 magnitude quake in mountainous Abra last July triggered landslides and ground fissures, killing 11 people and injuring several hundred.
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