A strong 6.9-magnitude quake shook the central Philippines around 10 p.m. local time, the USGS confirmed, triggering fears of a tsunami and significant damage.
Preliminary seismic models suggest that an earthquake of this strength in the region could cause loss of life and severe damage to poorly built structures.
In the Philippines, the earthquake happened about west of Palompon, just 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the surface.
On the Visayan Islands in the Central Philippines, estimates from US Geological Survey models indicate that over half a million people experienced extremely violent shaking.
The USGS states that extremely powerful shaking will cause “slight to moderate damage in well-built ordinary structures” and “considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures.” The northern parts of the Cebu and Leyte islands most likely saw the worst of the earthquake.
Source: CNN