A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off southern Mindanao island, the Philippines, on December 29, raising fears of dangerous tsunami waves, but after about two hours, the tsunami alert was withdrawn.
Hanoi (VNA) – A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off southernMindanao island, the Philippines, on December 29, raising fears of dangeroustsunami waves, but after about two hours, the tsunami alert was withdrawn.
The US GeologicalSurvey (USGS) said that the quake struck 193km east of the Philippine city ofGeneral Santos, at a depth of 60km.
It initially said themagnitude of the quake was 7.2 but later downgraded it to 6.9.
There were no reportsof casualties or damage from the earthquake.
Earlier, the PacificTsunami Warning Centre said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300kmof the epicentre, along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, and thePacific island nation of Palau.
Indonesian media alsosaid there were no reports of damage.
The Philippines andIndonesia are both on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a horse-shoe shapedband of volcanoes and fault lines circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
The most recent seriousearthquake in the Philippines happened in 2013, killing over 220 people anddamaging many ancient pagodas on central islands.
Meanwhile, Indonesiahas been struck by two serious tsunamis this year. The first followed a 7.5magnitude quake on the west coast of Sulawesi island in September. More than2,000 people were killed. The second tsunami struck a week ago when part of avolcanic island collapsed in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatraislands, generating tsunami waves that killed more than 400 people. -VNA
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
