MANILA, Philippines — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines on Monday, killing a child and triggering a local tsunami alert. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued the tsunami alert for the central Philippines, saying the quake, which hit in a narrow strait just off Negros Island, could trigger a 3-foot (1-meter) wave along the island’s eastern coast as well as west of Cebu City, the country’s second largest.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a wider regional warning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 44 miles (72 kilometers) north of Dumaguete city on Negros and hit at a depth of 29 miles (46 kilometers).
People rushed out of schools, malls and offices during the quake. Officials in some areas suspended work and canceled classes. A child died when a concrete fence of a house collapsed in Taysan town in Negros Oriental province, said Benito Ramos, who heads the Office of Civil Defense.
A mall in San Carlos city in neighboring Negros Occidental province was damaged when its windows were shattered by the shaking, he said. The quake was also felt in Cebu, where it lasted about 30 seconds.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. A 7.7-magnitude quake killed nearly 2,000 people in Luzon in 1990. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.