PHILIPPINES RAISES QUAKE MAGNITUDE TO 7.1 FROM 6.5

MANILA, July 11 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology revised the magnitude of the offshore earthquake that rattled Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines on Thursday morning to 7.1 from 6.5.

The institute initially reported the earthquake, which occurred at 10:13 am local time, as magnitude 6.5.

In an updated report, the institute said the quake hit at a depth of 722 kilometres, about 133 kilometres southwest of Palimbang, a coastal town.

The tremor was also felt in nearby provinces on Mindanao, the country's second-largest island, including Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Sarangani, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, and Cotabato.

The institute said the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks but will not cause damage. It added that the earthquake will not trigger a tsunami.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s meteorology, climatology, and geophysics agency reported a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the western province of Bengkulu on Wednesday night but did not generate significant waves.

The earthquake occurred at 10.32 pm Jakarta time (1532 GMT), with the epicentre located 145 km northwest of Enggano Island, with a depth of 10 km beneath the seabed.

No tsunami warning was issued as the tremors were not anticipated to cause large waves.

Indonesia and the Philippines are susceptible to earthquakes due to their location on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. 

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA