M6.0 quake rattles Davao City, other areas

MANILA - (2nd UPDATE) A magnitude 6.0 earthquake in central Mindanao shook Davao City and other areas in the southern Philippines early Wednesday.

The inland tremor struck 6 kilometers west of Wao in Lanao del Sur at a depth of 1 kilometer at 5:21 a.m, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs' initial measurement of the earthquake was magnitude 5.5 before raising it to magnitude 6.0.

It was felt at Intensity IV in Davao City, Cagayan De Oro City, Cotabato City, and Gingoog City

Phivolcs said the quake is expected to cause damage and trigger aftershocks.

PANIC ERUPTS

The seismological office has received reports of mass panic in several areas due to the temblor.

"We had reports that there were panicking and brownouts in Cotabato City," Phivolcs research specialist Janila de Ocampo said in a phone interview.

Phivolcs, she added, was still confirming reports of damage to infrastructure.

De Ocampo however noted, "For this magnitude, the damage may not be that big unless the structure is not well-built."

Four aftershocks -- with magnitudes ranging from 3.4 to 4.0 -- have rocked Lanao del Sur as of 6:30 a.m.