A powerful magnitude-6.9 earthquake rattled Central and Eastern Visayas regions late Tuesday evening with its epicenter traced to Bogo City, Cebu that later triggered a tsunami alert.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tremor was five kilometers deep and struck at 9:59 p.m. The agency revised its initial magnitude-6.7 reading after validating reports.
The quake was felt strongly at Intensity 5 in Argao and Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; Sipalay City, Negros Occidental; and Tacloban City, Leyte. It was also felt in some areas outside the Visayas region.
Intensity 4 was recorded in San Fernando, Cebu; parts of Sorsogon (Bulan, Bulusan and Casiguran); Roxas City, Capiz; Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental; Ubay, Bohol; Lawaan, Eastern Samar; Laoang, Northern Samar; Catbalogan City, Samar; and Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte.
Intensity 3 was observed in Legazpi City, Albay; Iriga CIty, Camarines Sur; Donsol, Sorsogon; and Tibiao, Antique.
Instrumental intensities were also reported in Cebu City and Villaba, Leyte at level 6; Esperanza, Masbate; other parts of Cebu (Asturias, Danao City, Talisay City); Abuyog, Carigara, Hilongos and Ormoc City, Leyte at Level 5.
Other areas that reported instrumental intensities include Tapaz, Capiz; Moalboal, Cebu; Kawayan, Biliran; Alangalang, Leyte; Palapag, Northern Samar; Sogod, Southern Leyte; and Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.
Manila Standard received information that the quake was also felt strongly in Iloilo, which is part of Western Visayas.
Phivolcs warned that aftershocks and damage are expected from this seismic activity. It has already noted strong aftershocks north of magnitude-5.
It also released a tsunami alert level one, indicating minor sea-level disturbance. This covers the coastal areas of Leyte, Cebu and Biliran.
Phivolcs’ updated data was consistent with US Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the quake at magnitude-6.9, revising its earlier reading of 7.0, according to a report by Agence France Presse (AFP).
The USGS, however, traced its epicenter at 11 kilometers (seven miles) east-southeast of Calape, a municipality in Bohol province with a population of around 33,000 people.
