Moderate earthquake jolts southern Philippines

An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale jolted Davao region in southern Philippines Tuesday afternoon, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said.

As of press time, there were no initial reports of damage or casualties of the tremor that struck at around 12:52 p.m., the OCD said.

The tectonic earthquake originated some 83 kilometers north of the gulf of Mati, Davao Oriental, according to a report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The quake, which lasted about 25 seconds, occurred 123 kilometers beneath the earth's surface, the report said.

Quakes of this magnitude are relatively common in the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", but usually cause only minor damage.

Source: Xinhua