SECOND STRONG EARTHQUAKE HITS PHILIPPINES AFTER FIRST QUAKE KILLS AT LEAST 5.(PHOTO).

Second strong earthquake hits Philippines after first quake kills at least 5

Two strong earthquakes struck the southern Philippines on Friday, hitting the same region just hours apart.

The first, a 7.4-magnitude quake in the morning, killed at least five people, triggered landslides, damaged schools and hospitals, and prompted evacuations along nearby coasts after a tsunami warning was issued and later lifted. Two patients died of heart attacks at a hospital, a resident in Mati city was struck by debris, and two villagers were killed in a landslide in a remote gold-mining community in Pantukan town, Davao de Oro province. Several others were injured.

The second quake, recorded at a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, struck Friday night near Manay town in Davao Oriental province at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Officials said it originated along the same fault line, the Philippine Trench, but it was unclear if it was a separate quake or an aftershock.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said assessments of the damage were underway and that rescue teams and relief operations would be deployed as soon as it was safe. Residents reported buildings swaying, power outages, and cracks in several structures, including schools, prompting the evacuation of students. Classes were suspended in Davao City and nearby towns.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported small waves along the Philippine and Indonesian coasts, which later subsided. Indonesia’s meteorology agency recorded minor tsunamis of 3.5 to 17 centimeters (1.3 to 6.7 inches) in the Talaud Islands districts of North Sulawesi province.

The Philippines continues to recover from a 6.9-magnitude quake on Sept. 30 in Cebu province that killed at least 74 people. The region is regularly affected by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, adding strain to disaster response efforts.

Meanwhile, a 6.0-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea on Friday, centered in the Bismarck Sea, 414 kilometers (257 miles) northeast of Lae. No damage was reported there.