Strong magnitude 6.2 quake rocks south-eastern Philippines
Temblor struck 175km from Polomolok, South Cotabato early on Sunday morning
A strong earthquake has struck off the Celebes Sea, in south-eastern Philippines, about 175km from South Cotabato Province early on Sunday at 6.02 am local time.
Strong tremors were felt in General Santos City as well as Digos City, Davao Del Sur. People went out on the streets after they felt their buildings shaking.
The USGS estimates the quake's magnitude at 6.2 while volcanodiscovery.com reported that it reached a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale.
People reported having been awakened from their sleep by the strong tremors. There were no immediate reports of damage or tsunami warning.
The quake struck at a depth: 10.0 km, according to volcanodiscovery. com, citing GFZ as its primary data source.
The quake, with epicenter latitude / longitude: 5.75°N / 126.57°E (Philippines), had an estimated energy of 42,502 tons of TNT (equivalent to 2.7 atomic bombs)
The nearest known volcano is Mt Balut, about 138 km from the epicentre.
The estimated released energy: 1.8*10^14 J (49.4 GWh / 42502 tons of TNT / 2.7 atomic bombs equivalent).
More details to follow.