A strong tectonic earthquake struck Mindanao again this time hitting Surigao del Norte at magnitude-6. The tremor was recorded just three minutes after 7:00 a.m. on Friday with damage to properties and aftershocks expected.
The epicenter was traced at 13 kilometers southeast of General Luna and was measured at 28 kilometers deep. It was felt across the province and other parts of the Caraga region as well as Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and parts of Visayas.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) attributed it to the movement of the Philippine Trench, which was responsible for the series of strong earthquakes in Mindanao recently.
The following areas have reported intensities in light of this latest seismic event:
- Intensity 5 – Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, and San Jose, Dinagat Islands; Claver, Surigao del Norte
- Intensity 4 – Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Liloan, Pintuyan, Saint Bernard, San Francisco, San Juan, San Ricardo, and Silago, Southern Leyte; Butuan City, Agusan del Norte; Libjo, and Tubajon, Dinagat Islands; Surigao City, Surigao del Norte
- Intensity 3 – Abuyog, Dulag, Palo, and Tacloban City, Leyte; Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
- Intensity 2 – Alangalang, Babatngon, and Burauen, Leyte; Malaybalay City, Bukidnon; Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental; Laak, Maco, Monkayo, and New Bataan, Davao de Oro
Instrumental intensities have likewise been reported in other areas of the affected regions and provinces.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) registered the quake at magnitude-6.1 a week after two powerful quakes hit the country.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, provincial rescuer Ralph Cadalena told Agence France Presse (AFP).
“We felt a sudden strong shake, but it was only for a very short time,” Cadalena said.
The tremor struck near Dapa municipality in Surigao del Norte province at a depth of around 69 kilometres (43 miles), USGS reported.
It came a week after two quakes of 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude shook the eastern section of the main Mindanao island, killing at least eight people.
These followed a magnitude 6.9 earthquake days earlier that killed 76 people and destroyed or damaged 72,000 houses in Cebu province in central Philippines, according to government figures.
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
An 8.0-magnitude quake off Mindanao island’s southwest coast in 1976 unleashed a tsunami that left 8,000 people dead or missing, the Philippines’ deadliest natural disaster. —With Agence France Presse
