Quake strikes Philippines, no damage

A magnitude 4 undersea earthquake hit the central Philippines early on Monday, a day after two mild quakes shook parts of the archipelago. Authorities said no damage was expected and the temblors were not related to Indonesia's killer quake. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, or Phivolcs, said the pre-dawn quake's epicentre was located 690 kilometres southeast of Manila, off Bohol island. On Sunday afternoon, a magnitude 5.3 quake struck off the Philippines' northernmost Babuyan island group. Hours later, a magnitude 3.3 quake rattled southern Cagayan de Oro city and nearby areas. No damage was reported. "They were weak though some people felt them. They happened separately, and are not connected to the killer quake in Indonesia," Philvolcs chief Renato Solidum told Manila Radio DZBB. He said the Philippines is struck by up to 20 minor earthquakes a day, most of them so weak they are not felt. The Philippines, like Indonesia, is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic activity are frequent. But Solidum said the Philippine temblor wasn't related to the 6.3-magnitude quake struck Indonesia Saturday, killing more than 4,300 people and injuring thousands. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1708155,00050004.htm