5.9 magnitude quake jolts Batanes in Philippines

An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck off Batanes province of Philippines in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck off Batanes province of Philippines in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicentre of the quake, which occurred at around 23:37 (UTC), was registered at a depth of 10 kilometres, about 14 kilometres east of Itbayat Municipality in the province of Batanes.

No tsunami warning has been issued. Further details are awaited.

The Philippines is prone to earthquakes because of its geographical positioning. It's on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. Besides Earthquake, constant volcanic eruptions also stimulate seismic sea waves. (ANI)

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