PHILIPPINES RED CROSS VIA AP
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, volunteers tend to others affected by an earthquake that struck the city of General Santos, south of Cotabato, southern Philippines, Friday, Nov. 17. A strong undersea earthquake has shaken the southern Philippines. The U. S. Geological Survey says the quake measured a magnitude of 6. 7 and was located 16 miles (26 kilometers) from Burias in the southern tip of the Philippines.
SHAIRA ANN SANDIGAN/AP
A security guard walks past the broken roof of a shopping mall in the city of General Santos, south of Cotabato, Philippines, Friday, Nov. 17. A strong undersea earthquake has shaken the southern Philippines. The U. S. Geological Survey says the quake measured a magnitude of 6. 7 and was located 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Burias in the southern tip of the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful undersea earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Friday, sending the roofs of shopping malls collapsing as shoppers screamed. There are no tsunami precautions in place.
The Office of Civil Defense said it is investigating a death.
Gregorio Narajos, 34, was eating at the SM City General Santos shopping mall when the earthquake struck Friday afternoon.
“We’ve gone under the table, there’s nothing more we can do,” he told the Associated Press. “People started running down the stairs. We were scared because there could be a stampede, and then with the lights off, the earthquake so strong. People were screaming and shouting, “Oh my God!” We began to pray.
The magnitude-6. 7 quake struck 26 kilometers from Burias in the southern tip of the Philippines, the U. S. Geological Survey said. It is said to have been centered at an intensity of 78 kilometers (48 miles).
Videos posted on social media showed ceilings collapsing at two primary shopping malls as pillars swayed and other people cowered and screamed in fear. The SM City General Santos and Robinsons GenSan shopping centers announced temporary closures. No injuries were reported there. The photos also showed the collapsed roof of a school.
The presidential palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed government agencies to the protection and well-being of all those affected by the quake.
The Philippines records earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.
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