Massive magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near Baculin, Philippines, USGS says

MANILA - A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines' southern islands on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) around 68 km (42 miles) east of Baculin, a village in the southern town of Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur province.

Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs, which measured the tremor at 6.4 magnitude and depth of 23 km, warned of damage and aftershocks.

Police and disaster officials near the quake's epicenter said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the earthquake.

"It was not that strong, but people rushed outside," said Joey Monato, the local police chief of Hinatuan.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said by phone that the earthquake's epicenter was situated less than 10 km from where a pair of strong earthquakes hit in October, killing seven people.

Bacolcol said tsunami warnings were unlikely from the tremor on Wednesday.

"It will not generate destructive tsunami waves because it's deep," Bacolcol said by phone.

The Philippines is in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru and Mikhail Flores in Manila; Editing by Himani Sarkar and John Mair/Reuters