HONG KONG (AFP) Nov 18, 2003 An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit an area near Samar island in the Philippines early Wednesday, the Hong Kong Observatory said.
The temblor occurred at 1:18 am (1718 GMT Tuesday) with its epicentre about 550 kilometres (340 miles) east-southeast of Manila, the report said.
There was no initial report of casualty or damage.
