A MAGNITUDE 5.8 earthquake hit Southern Leyte yesterday morning, damaging roads and other structures.
Hours later, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte.
In Leyte, no one was reported killed, injured or missing in the “very strong” quake that hit the province, said Venancio Samalca, communications officer of the Southern Leyte provincial disaster risk reduction and management office.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it is expecting damage from the Leyte quake which occurred at 7:39 a.m.
The epicenter of the tremor was 6 km southeast of San Francisco town in Southern Leyte, Phivolcs said. The quake, of tectonic in origin, had a depth of 11 km.
Shaking was felt at Intensity VI in San Francisco; Intensity V in Ubay town in Bohol and in the Southern Leyte towns of Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Libagon, Liloan, Limasawa, Padre Burgos, Pintuyan, San Juan and San Ricardo.
It was also felt at Intensity IV in President Carlos P. Garcia town in Bohol; Baybay City and towns of Abuyog, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan, and Matalom in Leyte; Maasin City and towns of Bontoc, Macrohon, Malitbog, Saint Bernard, Silago, Sogod, and Tomas Oppus in Southern Leyte; Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose, and Tubajon towns in Dinagat Islands; and Mainit town in Surigao del Norte.
“The highest intensity is Intensity 6 in San Francisco. When we say Intensity 6, it’s very strong,” said Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol
Phivolcs said it has recorded 88 aftershocks as of 5 p.m. yesterday, ranging from magnitude 1.6 to 2.9.
Samalca, citing initial information, said the quake caused damage to roads in San Francisco town, and cracks on the walls of the town’s Sangguniang Bayan building and gymnasium.
“We are still gathering information from the DRRM (disaster risk reduction and management) offices,” he said.
Samalca said some local government units, including San Francisco, suspended classes due to the quake.
Chris Noel Bendijo, spokesman of the Office of Civil Defense, said some structures in San Francisco were damaged.
“There were also cracks on some roads (in the town),” he said.
Bendijo said there were damaged structures in Zamboanga City and reports of people who were evacuated. “There is an ongoing inspection (in the city) for the structural integrity of the buildings,” he said.
Asked how extensive the overall damage was, Bendijo said, “We’re still collating (data). We can only provide the estimate after we (finish) the inspection. So we cannot provide figure as of now.”
San Francisco police chief Barnie Catig said the earthquake in the town was brief but strong.
He also said at least 18 houses and government buildings had minor damage.
At least one highway had fissures from the tremor but remained passable, he said.
“We’re still conducting a full assessment,” he added. – With Reuters