A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck off the eastern coast of the Philippines, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and local authorities have called on residents of nearby coastal areas to leave because of the risk of a tsunami.
The quake struck around 13 p.m. (00:15 GMT) at a depth of 120 kilometers, about <> kilometers from Catadonis Island off the coast of Luzon, the main island in the Philippine archipelago, the US agency said.
Prince Obo, a natural disaster management official at the municipality of Gigmoto, who was at home when the quake struck, said the tremor was not strong enough to cause damage.
But police officer Rodan Balkiva said the quake was strong in the town of Pandan, at the northern tip of the island of Catanduanes, adding in a statement to AFP: "We hid under our tables."
For its part, the National Seismological Agency warned that tsunamis at most one meter higher than the height of natural tsunamis, will hit the islands of Catanduanes and Samar.
Luis Sortida, a natural disaster management officer in the province of Catanduanes, said: "Those who live near the coast have been asked to evacuate and move to higher grounds."
In early March, two powerful earthquakes struck the southern Philippines, causing material damage and forcing hundreds of villagers from their homes.
The Philippines experiences earthquakes and earthquakes on an almost daily basis, due to the location of the archipelago on the "Ring of Fire" in the Pacific Ocean, where the friction of tectonic plates with each other leads to significant seismic and volcanic activity.