More deaths reported in Philippines earthquake

Hanoi (VNA) - At least six people were killed and nearly 200 others injured in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake which hit Cotabato province on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on October 29, said local authorities.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the tremor hit 25 km southeast of Tulunan town with a depth of 7 km.

Mark Timbal, spokesman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said one of the dead victims was a 7-year-old boy.

The strong earthquake was felt in Kidapawancity, Sarangani province, Davao city, Koronadalcity, Cagayan de Oro city, General Santos city, Zamboanga city, and Bukidnon province.

The officials reported that the tremor cut the power supply in many of the affected provinces, knocking down electricity pylons and shattering glass. Patients at five hospitals in the affected localities were evacuated for safety reasons, they added.

It was the second powerful earthquake to rock Cotabato province in the central Mindanao region this month. Tulunan town was also at the epicenter of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that jolted the region on October 16.

The Philippines, which lies along the "Pacific Ring of Fire," is surrounded by numerous active faults and trenches on both sides of the archipelago. The country has frequent seismic activity./.