The earthquake epicentre is located at a depth of 35 kilometres. The intensity of the earthquake was identified as V or 'strong'. The quake was felt in Bislig City after a magnitude 6.4-earthquake shook Surigao del Sur at 6:37 Monday morning.
The Philippines is located in a seismologically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and often suffers from powerful earthquakes. The archipelago lies along the border between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which are colliding and increasing the seismological activity in the area.
Earlier this month, super typhoon Goni struck the Philippine island of Luzon, killing at least seven people.