A strong earthquake hit southern Philippines and killed at least six people and injured over 100 in Surigao City alone, authorities said on Saturday.

Officials said many structures were damaged from the 6.7-magnitude tremor that struck late Friday. “As of this time, we have six fatalities and (at least) 125 injured,” said Sr. Supt. Anthony Maghari, the provincial police chief of Surigao del Norte.

Hospital patients take shelter in a pedestrian-waiting shed for safety after a 6 .5-magnitude earthquake struck overnight in Surigao City, in southern island of Mindanao. AFP / ERWIN MASCARINAS

Others spent the night in parking lots and open fields. Hospital staff temporarily brought bed-ridden patients outside until the aftershocks eased.

Provincial disaster monitoring chief Ramon Gotinga said residents were still on edge.

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"They are all still traumatized. At the slightest shaking, they run out in the streets," he said.

The Philippines is located in the so-called "Ring of Fire," an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

with AFP