An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the southern Philippines Sunday afternoon, geological agencies reported.

The Hong Kong Observatory said the quake occurred 2:03 p.m. local time (0603 GMT). The epicenter was initially determined to be 5.4 degrees north latitude and 126.4 degrees east longitude, about 210 km south-southeast of Davao, Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey recorded the quake at 01:58 local time (05:58 GMT). The quake was located 160 kilometers east-southeast of General Santos, Mindanao or 1,185 kilometers south-southeast of Manila, at an depth of 75.8 kilometers.

No casualties or damage have been reported in the Southeast Asian country.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a string of islands on the Pacific Ocean rim that were formed by the eruptions of undersea volcanoes. It is regularly hit by earthquakes, and most of them are low in magnitude and cause little damage.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2009)