A MAGNITUDE-6.0 earthquake struck the central Philippine island of Samar on Monday afternoon, shaking structures and alarming residents, though no immediate casualties were reported.
AFP, citing the United States Geological Survey department, saying the tremor occurred at 2.09pm local time (0609 GMT) at a depth of 73.3 kilometres.
The epicentre was located some nine kilometres from the coastal town of San Julian.
A local police officer described the quake as both abrupt and forceful, with minor structural damage observed.
“Here at the police station, one of the beams where our roof was attached was broken... I saw some furniture moving,” he said, adding that he and his colleagues had evacuated the building amid concerns over possible aftershocks.
The Philippines experiences frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast arc known for intense tectonic movement stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
The latest tremor follows a series of powerful earthquakes in the region. In October last year, eastern Mindanao was struck by earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.4 and 6.7, which claimed at least eight lives.
Those quakes came shortly after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake that killed 76 people and destroyed or damaged approximately 72,000 homes in Cebu, according to official figures. - May 4, 2026
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