Magnitude 6.0 quake strikes central Philippines, no immediate reports of damage or casualties

MANILA, May 4 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Samar island in the central Philippines on Monday, and authorities warned of aftershocks but said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The Philippine seismology agency PHIVOLCS said the earthquake hit near San Julian town in Eastern Samar province at a depth of 56 km (35 miles), and warned of possible aftershocks from the tremor.

Thomas Campomanes, the disaster officer for Eastern Samar, said there were some early reports of superficial cracks in some buildings but none of major damage. There were also no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities from disaster officials on the ground.

He said the earthquake was strong, and lasted for around 30 seconds.

"We were like being dribbled up and down," Campomanes said by phone. Employees at a local government building have evacuated and are still outside while engineers assess the site, he added.

The Philippines is in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. The country experiences more than 800 quakes each year. In October, at least seven people died when two powerful offshore earthquakes struck off the southern Philippines.