Strong earthquake hits Philippines

A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippine island of Samar at 2:09pm local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Monday.

The epicenter of the quake was about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from the coastal city of San Julian, the USGS said. Its epicenter was 73.3 kilometers (45 miles) below the surface.

There were no immediate reports of major casualties or damage. However, a local police official told AFP that the quake was very strong and sudden. The tremors caused a roof beam to collapse at his police station and damaged furniture. Police officers are currently staying outside the building for fear of aftershocks.

The Philippines is often hit by powerful earthquakes because it is located on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire." Earlier, in October last year, a powerful earthquake killed at least eight people on the eastern island of Mindanao. In addition, a recent 6.9-magnitude earthquake killed 76 people and destroyed or damaged about 72,000 homes in Cebu province.