Manila - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Philippines on Tuesday but caused no damage, authorities said.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred at 4.47am about 120km west of Negros island, at a depth of 19km.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake struck in the Sulu Sea 93km southwest of Dumaguete City, one of the major cities on Negros.
Authorities were confident the earthquake caused no damage, according to Nazario Caro, a duty officer with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on the neighbouring island of Panay.
“We did not issue any tsunami alert. We have checked the nearby areas and we did not get any reports of damage or casualties,” Caro told reporters by telephone.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire - a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where frequent eruptions and earthquakes take place. - Sapa-AFP