A powerful magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Friday, sending residents scrambling for cover and causing a portion of a shopping mall ceiling to collapse.
The earthquake, which occurred at 8:14 GMT, originated 78 kilometers (48 miles) beneath the surface off the coast of Sarangani province on Mindanao, the main southern island of the Philippines. No tsunami warning was issued by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Reports of casualties have not yet surfaced, but the quake’s tremors were felt across a vast swath of the mountainous island.
“It was undoubtedly the most intense earthquake I’ve ever experienced,” Keeshia Leyran, 27, recounted to AFP from Davao City, where she was attending a conference approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the epicenter. “People around me were panicking and rushing outside. There are hundreds of attendees at this event, so I was more concerned about a stampede occurring, to be truthful.”
A photograph circulating on Facebook and authenticated by AFP depicted a collapsed ceiling within a shopping mall in General Santos City, situated less than 100 kilometers from the epicenter.
In General Santos City, Adrian Imbong, an emergency medical services worker, disclosed that around 30 students at a high school were treated for breathing difficulties caused by panic following the earthquake.
Raquel Balabawas, 58, was at a primary school in General Santos City with her grandchildren when they felt the ground tremble. “We were in an open field, but the earthquake was so powerful that the children became really terrified and began to cry,” Balaba informed AFP.
According to Jason Sioco, a member of the local disaster agency, some schools in Jose Abad Santos municipality in Davao Occidental province reported cracks in their buildings. However, he stated that there had been no reported injuries or “significant damage.”
“Power and phone lines were temporarily cut off, but electricity has been restored,” he added.
Earthquakes are a common occurrence in the Philippines, which is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically and volcanically active region that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.