The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported Friday that the magnitude-5.8 tremor in Southern Leyte already registered 189 aftershocks (64 plotted), most are located in the epicenter San Francisco.
In an updated bulletin as of 4:00 pm, January 24, Phivolcs said the aftershocks ranged between 1.4 to 2.9 in magnitude. San Francisco alone shook more than 60 times over the last 24 hours since the major quake.
In light of this development, Mayor Jonna Adan of Liloan, Southern Leyte ordered the suspension of classes at all levels in public and private schools on Friday. The town is about 19.4 kilometers away from the epicenter, which remains affected by the aftershocks.
The provincial government issued an advisory on Thursday informing the public that roads in the villages of Amaga and Himay-angan, as well as other roads in Liloan, were rendered impassable due to fallen debris and severe cracks after the quake.
In a primer released Thursday evening, Phivolcs said the Southern Leyte tremor was triggered by the movement of a local active fault in the area. It noted that aftershocks could “persist for several days to months.”
“Southern Leyte and its neighboring provinces experience earthquakes as they are situated in one of the seismically active regions in the archipelago. The presence of onshore and offshore active faults, particularly the Philippine fault and its segments, generates high seismicity in the area,” it explained.
Phivolcs said it is closely monitoring the aftermath of this seismic event. It reminded affected residents to exercise caution amid potential environmental hazards resulting from this major quake.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect latest information provided by Phivolcs. Refresh this page for possible further updates.