6.0-magnitude quake shakes Philippines coast

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck at sea off the eastern Philippines late Friday, with no early reports of damage. The US Geological Survey and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake struck at 11:06 pm (1506 GMT), its epicentre about 41 kilometres (25 miles) north of Santa Monica in the province of Surigao del Norte.

Its depth was measured at 54 kilometres (34 miles) by the US agency, and the local quake monitors said in an advisory that it was not expected to have caused damage. The Philippines is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from quake-prone Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.