A magnitude-5.8 tectonic earthquake rocked Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte at 11:22 a.m. Saturday, which state seismologists plotted about five kilometers southwest of the municipality.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said this was an update from a magnitude-5.9 tremor it reported earlier, which was initially located in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.
Phivolcs traced the quake at a depth of focus of 30 kilometers. It was felt in varying degrees of intensity across Agusan del Norte and nearby provinces including Agusan del Sur, Bohol, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Sur, South Cotabato, and Surigao del Sur.
Phivolcs said aftershocks and damage are expected from this seismic event.
At 1:21 p.m. Saturday, the seismic agency officially recorded a 5.2-magnitude tremor located about three kilometers southeast of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur at a depth of 45 kilometers this time around.
In an interview with DZBB, Phivolcs science research assistant Dandy Camero said it is possible that this quake is connected to the 5.8-magnitude tremor reported earlier.
“Because this is part of the Philippine fault zone, the Esperanza segment exists there, so it’s possible (that these quakes are connected). This is what we are still monitoring,” Camero said in Filipino.