Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southern Philippines: USGS

MANILA (AFP): An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 hit the southern Philippines on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, one of a number of strong aftershocks after a magnitude 7.6 quake a day earlier.

The latest quake hit at about 6:36 pm local time (1036 GMT) northeast of Bislig on Mindanao island. At least two people were killed in the earlier magnitude 7.6 quake late on Saturday night.

The Philippines, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. - AFP