VIDEO: Strong quake shakes southern Philippines, classes suspended
People run for cover as 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolts in Compostela, Davao de Oro.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey, prompting local authorities to warn of aftershocks, pointing to the possibility of material damage.
The earthquake was recorded at 6:44 pm (10:44 GMT), near the Moncayo district in Davao de Oro province on the island of Mindanao.
Authorities said that several southern cities and provinces were rocked by the quake.
Davao de Oro Gov. Dorothy Gonzaga suspended school classes on Thursday to inspect homes for possible damages.
The province of more than 700,000 people lies in a region that was still reeling from heavy rain and flooding last week.
The Philippines lies alongside the Pacific "Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults across the Pacific Ocean in which maximum of the world’s earthquakes occur.
It is also hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
