A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday, causing panic among residents but with no immediate reports of casualties, significant damage or tsunami threats, according to seismic authorities and local officials.
The UAE’s National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through its National Seismic Network, recorded the earthquake at 8:14 a.m. UAE time on August 5.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake occurred at 12:14 p.m. local time (0414 GMT), with its epicentre located about 32 kilometres southwest of Sarangani Island in the southern Philippines. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that the quake originated at a depth of 62 kilometres and confirmed that no tsunami warning was issued.
The tremor was felt across parts of the region, prompting people to rush out of buildings as the ground shook.
Harly Sauro, a rescuer on Sarangani Island, said the earthquake struck while a large crowd had gathered at a local venue to receive government financial assistance.
He said the shaking was strong enough to cause alarm, with people running and shouting as they sought safety. Despite the panic, Sauro said everyone at the gathering was accounted for and no injuries had been reported.
Based on initial assessments and previous experience responding to earthquakes in the region, he said local authorities did not expect the event to have caused widespread damage or loss of life.
Emergency officials continued monitoring the affected areas after the quake, while authorities assessed buildings and infrastructure for any structural damage.
The Philippines is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region where several major tectonic plates meet. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes every year, although many are too weak to be felt. Stronger earthquakes can trigger landslides, damage infrastructure and, in some cases, generate tsunamis.
The latest earthquake comes less than two months after a powerful tremor struck the nearby island of Mindanao on June 8. That earthquake caused widespread destruction, toppling buildings and triggering landslides that claimed at least 76 lives.
The memory of that disaster heightened concern among residents as Tuesday’s earthquake struck, although the absence of a tsunami warning and the lack of immediate reports of major damage provided reassurance.
Authorities urged residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks and to follow guidance from emergency services while inspections continue. Disaster response teams remained on standby as officials gathered information from communities across the affected region.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and local emergency agencies are expected to continue monitoring seismic activity and provide updates if conditions change. Initial assessments indicate the earthquake caused fear among residents but appears to have spared the region from the level of destruction seen during the deadly Mindanao earthquake earlier this year.
