DAVAO CITY: The Regional Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said it has recorded no casualties after the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck the Municipality of Sarangani, Davao Occidental on Friday afternoon, November 17.

The OCD, however, said some government buildings and schools had been damaged in the region.

The office reported minor cracks in schools in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental.

In Davao City, a crane arm of a condominium here collapsed. However, minor cracks were recorded in some schools, private and government offices.

In its latest bulletin, four families in Jose Abad Santos and 174 in Davao City have been displaced and evacuated at Barangay Hall.

Nine houses were damaged in Davao Occidental and Davao Oriental.

Meanwhile, power interruptions were noted in Davao Occidental following the quake but has since already been restored.

The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC 11) through the OCD 11 has raised the alert status of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to red alert, following the strong tremor.

RDRRMC in its memorandum issued shortly after the earthquake, said raising of the red alert status of its EOC is to intensify close monitoring of Davao Region and to ensure immediate mobilization of resources from the regional level, particularly those areas affected by the recent quake.

All Local DRRM Offices and RDRRMC member-agencies have been directed to monitor closely their areas of responsibility and coordinate with the RDRRMC 11 EOC for immediate response actions, when necessary.

Davao City Information Office also issued confirmation that there were no reported casualties in the city due to the quake.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its initial report said no recorded damages to national roads and bridges in the region.