MANILA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck Davao Occidental province in the southern Philippines on Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
The institute said the quake, which struck at 10:26 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 66 km, about 234 km southeast of Balut Island in Sarangani town.
The institute said the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks and cause damage, but added that the quake did not pose a tsunami threat.
The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire". ■