Runs 1.5-km from offshore, triggers ruptures, sink holes inland
THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the “newly-named Bogo Bay Fault” caused the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 offshore earthquake, as it observed cracks and areas of sinking ground in Cebu province.
The Phivolcs team observed fault scarps, open cracks, and small pressure mounds within a 2-meter-wide deformation zone in Sitio Looc, Barangay Nailon, Bogo City.
“Initial field mapping recorded about 200 meters of surface rupture, while drone surveys revealed the fault may extend up to 1.5 kilometers, showing signs of right-lateral movement,” Phivolcs said in a social media post.
It added that field verification is ongoing to determine the full extent of the rupture.
Phivolcs said it also found signs of liquefaction that can cause the ground to sink, damaging houses and roads.
Meanwhile, as of 2 p.m. yesterday, there have been 5,336 recorded aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 offshore earthquake.
Phivolcs has advised the public to stay prepared for strong aftershocks, secure their homes, know evacuation routes, and rely only on official sources for updates and safety instructions.
The death toll from the powerful tremor climbed to 70, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.
In its latest report, the OCD said Bogo City, the quake’s epicenter, recorded 32 fatalities, while San Remigio and Medellin reported 15 and 14 deaths, respectively. Tabogon logged six deaths, and one fatality each was recorded in Borbon, Sogod, and Tabuelan.
The agency said the quake affected 128,294 families or 457,554 individuals in 184 barangays across Central Visayas (Region 7). Around 1,300 people remain in four evacuation centers, while more than 25,000 others continue to stay outdoors due to fear of aftershocks.
The quake damaged a total of 18,154 houses, of which 3,507 were totally destroyed and 14,647 partially damaged.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday deployed one of its largest vessels to help deliver thousands of relief packs to earthquake-affected communities in northern Cebu in a joint humanitarian mission with a private shipping company.
The BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), along with the vessel LCT Island Shipping, transported essential supplies west of Sabil Point in San Remigio as part of continuing relief operations ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
According to the PCG, the cargo included 3,300 Charitimba food packs and 2,066 evacuation supply kits from PCSO, along with 66 sacks of rice provided by the Coast Guard Civil Relations Service (CGCRS).
For its part, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has already released 75,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) to local government units (LGUs) in quake-hit Cebu province.
The 75,000 released FFPs is part of the 142,000 FFPs requested by the 11 quake-hit Cebu LGUs whose mayors were met by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian during his rounds in the Central Visayas island province this week.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has approved the expansion of its Z benefit package to cover orthopedic services for the victims of the tremor.
Department of Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said: “Many of the patients suffered broken bones or have body parts cut off. What is needed are implants, which are usually expensive. PhilHealth will cover that until the state of calamity is lifted for the particular incident.”
Editor’s Note: Figures on the damaged houses were corrected from previous edition.
