A 5.9-magnitude aftershock rocked Leyte island Monday as the region was still reeling from the deadly tremor last week. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, seismologists said.
The US Geological Survey said the moderately strong quake struck Leyte island near Ormoc, a city of about 200,000 people, at 9:41 a.m. at a relatively shallow depth of 12.7 kilometers.
A 6.5 quake stuck the region on Thursday last week, killing two people and leaving 72 others injured.
Large areas of Leyte, home to some 1.75 million people, and some parts of the central Philippines were still without electricity this week due to damage to a Leyte power plant.
The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
Mylene Enriquez, a science research specialist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said there would be thousands of aftershocks from last week’s 6.5-magnitude quake.
As of Monday, Phivolcs recorded 687 aftershocks.
The city of Ormoc and Kananga town in Leyte was placed under state of calamity following the strong aftershock that struck the province Monday, the Palace said.
“It was determined that Ormoc City, along with Kananga, a Leyte municipality, would be declared under a state of calamity,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella, who was in Leyte province following a briefing attended by top Cabinet officials.
Among the immediate concerns that need to be addressed are the loss of power and the need for clean, potable water, Abella said.
Among those who attended the briefing were Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chief Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, and local officials led by Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez and Kananga Municipality Mayor Rowena Codilla.
Residents of Ormoc were struggling with a shortage of potable water and power after last week’s powerful earthquake, Gomez said.
“Our water system, which relies on surface water, was also hit,” the mayor said in Filipino. “The river water we use was also affected. Our tap water flows weakly and it’s murky.”
Authorities are still repairing three major power facilities damaged by last week’s quake.
