A MAGNITUDE 5.2 quake hit Abra yesterday, the strongest aftershock since magnitude 7 tremor that hit the province and nearby areas last month.
The July 27 quake killed 11 people and cause a P2.7-billion damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday’s quake occurred at 2:27 a.m. It was tectonic in origin and had a depth of four km. Its epicenter was some 12 km southwest of Pilar town.
It was felt at Intensity V in Pilar and two other Abra towns, namely Bangued and Bucay, and Intensity IV in Banayoyo town in Ilocos Sur and San Fernando City in La Union.
Phivolcs said it was expecting damage from the aftershock.
As of 7 a.m. yesterday, there have been 5,153 aftershocks from the July 27 quake. Phivolcs has earlier said it was expecting aftershocks from the quake several weeks or even months after the main tremor.
Yesterday’s 5.2 magnitude aftershock was the strongest so far. A 5.1 magnitude aftershock was recorded on August 1 with the epicenter located in Villaviciosa in Abra.
Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the July 27 quake claimed 11 lives and injured 609 others in three regions — Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
It has also caused P2.65 billion in damage to infrastructure, P52.19 million to agriculture, and P22.7 million to national irrigation, on top of 35,924 damaged houses.
The quake has affected 155,911 families or 574,367 individuals. As of August 22, the NDRRMC said 900 displaced individuals are still staying in nine evacuation centers and 48,813 others are with their relatives or friends.