7.8 magnitude earthquake hits southern Philippines

No information on damage was immediately available.

Manila: A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Mindanao region in southern Philippines early Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

No information on damage was immediately available.

The epicentre was 24.7 km west-southwest of Burias, Philippines, at a depth of 35 km. It struck at 7.37 am local time.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.