MANILA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 shook the southern Philippines before dusk on Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs) said.
The offshore temblor struck at around 5:54 p.m. local time, 35 km east of Jose Abad Santos town in Davao Occidental province with a depth of about 190 km below the surface, the institute said.
The quake was also felt in General Santos City, Davao City, and the provinces of South Cotabato and Saranggani, according to the Phivolcs.
The institute also said the quake will not cause damage. However, it said that aftershocks are expected.
Mindanao region in the southern Philippine has been rocked by a series of strong earthquakes since last year, with buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged in the region. The quakes also displaced thousands of villagers in the region.
The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire.
