Quake shakes southern Philippines

 A moderate earthquake struck the southern Philippines today, just days after a powerful tremor rocked the same region and triggered a tsunami warning, the government said.

The quake, measuring 5.9, was located in the Celebes Sea, 67 kilometres west of Palimbang town on the southern island of Mindanao, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

It set objects swaying in nearby cities but was not expected to cause any serious damage, said the institute's chief, Renato Solidum.

"We expect aftershocks," he told AFP.There were no immediate reports of any damage, authorities said.

The latest quake, which struck at a depth of 36 kilometres, was not related to the 7.6-magnitude quake that struck late Friday near Mindanao, Solidum said.
That quake in the Pacific Ocean prompted the government to issue a tsunami warning, causing thousands of villagers to flee their coastal homes in the southern and central islands.

But the tremors caused a series of only small waves and the death of one woman, who was hit by a landslide.