MANILA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines Friday afternoon rose to six, with two others missing, the Philippines' disaster agency said Saturday.
Edgardo Posadas, director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said details of the reported deaths and missings in the southern Mindanao region are still being validated.
Posadas said at least 450 people in the quake-affected areas required medical care.
The offshore quake, which occurred at 4:14 p.m. local time (0814 GMT) on Friday, hit at a depth of 72 kilometers, about 34 kilometers northwest of Sarangani town in Davao Occidental province.
The tremor was also felt in several areas on Mindanao island, damaging buildings and houses. Aftershocks continued to shake the region.
The disaster agency was assessing the casualties and damage caused by the quake.
The archipelagic Philippines has frequent seismic activities due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." ■
