Strong quake strikes southern Philippines, killing at least 6

                                                                    (C) Erwin Mascarinas/Agence France-Presse

At least six people were killed and more than 100 others were injured when an earthquake struck the southern Philippines late Friday, a disaster management official said on Saturday. The earthquake, which the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured as a magnitude 6.7, hit northeast of the city of Surigao in the Mindanao region. Renato Solidum, the institute’s director, said that the quake occurred at a depth of 11 kilometers, or about 6.8 miles, and that as many as 30 aftershocks followed over the next 10 hours.

An official with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Ramon Gotinga, said on Saturday that at least six people had been killed as a result of the quake and that 90 others had been hospitalized, saying that those numbers might rise. Surigao, about 430 miles southeast of Manila, was plunged into darkness when the quake knocked out power. Some homes were destroyed, the police and emergency relief services there said. The military said a bridge connecting two towns had collapsed. Nearly 100 aftershocks have been felt, according to residents. Evacuation centers accommodated wary residents overnight, but many returned home Saturday, said Judy Taguiwalo, the welfare secretary, according to The Associated Press.