A 6.1‑magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines early Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported, while the local seismological agency warned of aftershocks and possible damage. The strong, shallow quake occurred off Masbate province at about 2:00 a.m. local time (1800 GMT), jolting residents awake. Its epicentre was 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the village of Miaga in Uson municipality on Masbate’s main island, according to the USGS. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or structural harm, and no tsunami warning was issued.
Masbate provincial police chief Rolly Albana told AFP, “It was a bit strong. I was sleeping when we were shaken and woken up.” He said police had not reported any effects of the quake. Uson police chief Captain Reden Tolledo noted that some residents fled their homes, adding, “Even I went outside because of possible aftershocks.” Disaster officer Gregorio Adigue of Dimasalang municipality felt a strong aftershock nearly an hour after the main event, but observed no apparent damage to buildings or other structures. He said officials would later inspect schools in each village.
The Masbate education department suspended classes for Thursday because “continuous aftershocks are being felt” throughout the province. Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Most quakes are too weak to be felt, but strong, destructive events occur randomly, with no technology able to predict their timing or location. The nation’s civil‑defence office regularly conducts drills simulating earthquake scenarios along active fault lines.
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