Two dead as strong quake shakes southern Philippines

MANILA: A strong magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the southern Philippines on Friday, killing a married couple as people fled buildings and part of a shopping mall ceiling collapsed.

No tsunami threat was issued after the quake struck off Sarangani province on the main southern island of Mindanao at a depth of 78-kms at 4.14 pm (0814 GMT), the US Geological Service said in a statement. A man and his wife were found crushed to death beneath a concrete wall outside a wood factory near General Santos City where the couple worked, city police said. “The wall fell on them” during the quake, Corporal Christopher Larano told AFP. The quake was felt across a wide area of the mountainous island.