Earthquake of 6.9 strikes off Philippines

An earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday and hazardous tsunami waves were possible on parts of the coasts of the Philippines and Indonesia, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, from the earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said struck 193 km (120 miles) east of the Philippine city of General Santos, at a depth of 60 km (37 miles).

“Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km (186 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

There was no tsunami threat to the US state of Hawaii, it said.

The USGS initially said the magnitude of the quake was 7.2 but later downgraded it to 6.9.