Magnitude-6.9 quake, aftershock jolt Mindanao — Phivolcs

(Updated 8:40 a.m.) A magnitude-6.9 quake and at least one aftershock rocked parts of Mindanao early Saturday, even as state seismologists allayed fears of a tsunami resulting from the tremor. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was at magnitude 6.9, but the United States Geological Survey said it was 7.3. "Napakalalim ng lindol 606 km mula sa ibabaw... kakaiba ito. Dahil sa masyadong malalim, kahit malakas ito ang naramdamang pagyanig sa ibabaw di masyadong malakas (The origin of the quake was 606 km underground so it was barely felt)," Phivolcs director Renato Solidum Jr. said in an interview on dzBB radio. But radio dzRH cited statements from some residents claiming they felt a aftershock about 6:52 a.m. Earlier, Solidum said that while destruction of property from the tectonic quake was unlikely, aftershocks were possible. Solidum said the quake was recorded at 6:08 a.m., and initial reports showed the quake was felt at Intensity II in Surigao City and General Santos City. The USGS said the quake measured at magnitude 7.3, at the Moro Gulf. Its epicenter was 100 km southwest of Cotabato, 120 km south of Pagadian, 155 km east of Zamboanga, or 915 km south-southeast of Manila. — LBG, GMANews.TV