(AP Photo/Philippines Representative)
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Monday, just one week after a powerful earthquake in the same region killed at least 65 people and left dozens missing.According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred off the coast of Mindanao Island at 5:18 pm local time (0918 GMT) at a depth of 112 kilometers. No tsunami warning was issued.There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.“Our priority now is to monitor the coast to determine if there are signs of receding waters (warning of an impending tsunami),” Kaizer Cadiz of the disaster office in Davao Oriental province told AFP, adding that no such signs had been observed.The latest quake comes after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Mindanao on June 8, Monday, collapsing buildings and causing landslides and displacing thousands across the southern Philippines.Earlier last week, the National Disaster Management Agency raised the death toll from this earthquake to 65 people, while at least 36 people are still missing.The powerful earthquake injured more than 630 people and damaged more than 3,100 homes, along with roads, bridges and government buildings. It also led to the closure of General Santos International Airport and the disruption of classes in several provinces.Most of the deaths were caused by building collapses and landslides in General Santos and neighboring provinces, including Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.
The June 8 earthquake was followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks, including several tremors greater than magnitude 6.The Philippines is exposed to frequent earthquakes because it is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a wide area of seismic and volcanic activity that extends from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean. Eastern Mindanao was also hit by 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude earthquakes in October last year, killing at least eight people.