A strong earthquake rattled the Philippines on Thursday. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale hit 210 km southeast of Pondaguitan, Philippines, at 12:23 UTC (5:53 pm IST). 

According to CNN Philippines, the tremors with Intensity 5 (strong) were felt in General Santos City, Intensity 4 in Davao City, and Intensity 2 in Bislig, Surigao del Sur.

BREAKING: Magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits waters off Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental at 8:23 p.m., @phivolcs_dost says.

Intensity 5, considered by Phivolcs as 'strong' was felt in General Santos City; Intensity 4 in Davao City; and Intensty 2 in Bislig, Surigao del Sur. pic.twitter.com/PWF6Gkoi4n

— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) January 21, 2021

The USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami threat. Deep earthquakes generally cause less damage on the Earth’s surface.

The southern Davao region has been battered by powerful earthquakes set off by local fault lines in recent years.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. It is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.

Felt #earthquake (#lindol) M7.1 strikes 234 km SE of #Caburan (#Philippines) 13 min ago. Please report to: https://t.co/RYBdN8y29y pic.twitter.com/z92yntPXbO

— EMSC (@LastQuake) January 21, 2021