Thousands of people were

still displaced Thursday by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake

that struck the southern Philippines.

The temblor was centered 150 miles west of the city of

General Santos, according to the Philippine Institute of

Volcanology. It struck before dawn. The quake collapsed

scores of wood houses, forcing more than 27,000

villagers to flee.

The quake also collapsed parts of the wall of Mount

Parker volcano, releasing gushes of water that washed

away homes.

Some were still afraid to return to their homes

Thursday, though fears that Mount Parker might erupt

were dispelled. Volcano experts also ruled out a tsunami.

Fifteen people perished in the quake, most of them

killed by falling debris.

The quake toppled and cracked buildings, and caused the

seas off the coast of Mindanao island to swell nearly 10

feet above normal.

Aftershocks continued to hit the area Thursday but were

growing milder, according to government reports.

Church World Service reported that it was monitoring the

situation.

Related Topics:

• More rain for flooded Midwest rivers

• Strong quake hits Iran-Pakistan border

• Catastrophic flooding hits Argentina

More links on Earthquakes

More links on Flooding