Powerful quake strikes Philippines - UPI.com MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A powerful earthquake struck central Philippines' Negros Island Monday and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert for the region. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the offshore temblor at 6.7 but local seismologists placed it 6.9. The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 a.m. local time at a depth of 12.4 miles off Negros-Cebu region, 353 miles south-southeast of the capital of Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) issued a tsunami alert level 2 for Negros and Cebu, The Philippine Star reported. Philvolcs tsunami alert level is now 2. The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves," it said in its advisory. People are advised to stay away from the shoreline. People should not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. People whose houses are very near coastal areas in Negros and Cebu islands are strongly advised to be watchful," the agency said. The Star quoted the National Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Council as saying a child was killed in a wall collapse in Taysan town in Negros, but it was not clear if the incident was related to the quake. The council's Benito Ramos said there had, however, been reports that the earthquake shattered several glass panels of a shopping mall in San Carlos City. Level 2 tsunami alert is a notch below the highest level 3, which would require evacuation of the affected areas, CNN reported, quoting a spokeswoman for the seismology center. The report, quoting the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said no warning was issued for the wider Pacific region and there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii.