MANILA: A massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines early on Tuesday, killing at least 73 persons, Dispatch News Desk reported.
However, there was no threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said.
The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the quake was located at a depth of 33 kilometers around Bohol island, to the north of Mindanao island.
The earthquake also damaged several houses and buildings including hospitals and a historic church located in Loboc town in the Bohol province, and cracked a number of roads.