The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported Monday that Bogo City, Cebu has been struck anew by a shallow magnitude-5.8 aftershock with strong intensities felt in nearby areas and other parts of Visayas.
Phivolcs initially reported the seismic activity at magnitude-6.0, but later downgraded it to 5.8 after validation. It struck at 1:06 a.m. with the epicenter traced at 10 kilometers southwest of Bogo City at a depth of five kilometers.
Seismologists confirmed that it came from the movement of the Bogo Bay Fault and was thus considered as an aftershock of the magnitude-6.8 earthquake on September 30. Damages and aftershocks are expected from this latest event.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said the death toll from the earlier quake in Cebu stood at 75 with nearly 600 injured. OCD deputy administrator Assistant Secretary Bernardo Alejandro IV said they hope there would be no casualties from the strong aftershock reported this morning.
According to Alejandro, the aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Bogo City have reached almost 11,000. The entire province of Cebu remains under a state of calamity.
A total of 722,919 people or 201,245 families in Central Visayas were affected by the earthquake, according to a report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of Saturday.
Of the total affected population, 3,538 people or 815 families were staying in evacuation centers while 5,280 people or 1,106 families were taking shelter in other places. Assistance worth P204,188,533 have been provided to the victims so far.
A total of 79,959 houses were damaged—74,616 partially and 5,343 totally. Also, 773 infrastructures worth P6,765,661 were damaged.
The NDRRMC has raised a red alert status for its operations center, which continues its relief and rehabilitation activities in partnership with other relevant government agencies.
