A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck in the ocean off the south-east of the Philippines on Monday evening, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. There were no reports of any immediate damage or injury.
According to USGS, the quake hit 236 km east south-east of General Santos on the southern island of Mindanao.
This comes after a series of earthquakes that rocked the main island of Luzon on Saturday forcing hundreds of residents in the coastal area in a province south of the capital to flee to higher ground fearing a tsunami.
The local television network, ABS-CBN showed footage of frightened commuters, who were fleeing the passenger terminal at the port of Batangas, near the epicenters. The region has experienced several tremors since earlier this week.
The Philippines sits on the highly seismically active zone "Pacific Ring of Fire" where many continental plates on the earth's crust keep colliding. Hence, it experiences frequent earthquakes.
The last lethal earthquake to hit the country before the February 10 quake was a 7.1-magnitude tremor that left over 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches when it struck the central islands in October 2013.
