Two earthquakes hit Davao on Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported, even as it warned the public to prepare for powerful aftershocks that could follow the quake that rocked Luzon Monday.
At 11:43 a.m. Wednesday, a magnitude 4.7 quake struck 63-kilometer northeast of Baganga, Davao Oriental at a depth of 11 kilometers.
Intensity 1 was recorded in Bislig City and Surigao Del Sur.
A magnitude 4.5 quake, on the other hand, struck 374 kilometers southeast of Sarangani, Davao Occidental at 11:28 a.m., at a depth of 270 kilometers.
Both quakes were of tectonic origin.
PHIVOLCS said it does not expect any damage or aftershocks from the two quakes.
PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum, meanwhile, said aftershocks from Monday’s 6.1 magnitude earthquake could persist for several days as he urged the public to prepare.
Some 600 aftershocks have been recorded since Monday’s main earthquake but the number is “not unusual,” Solidum told the ANC news channel.
“When a fault moves, it will not totally stop moving. The ground around it will still adjust. That’s why we have aftershocks,” Solidum said.
“In Zambales, it’s not a major earthquake, so we can still record aftershocks several days after, even weeks, but we think in time, the number will decrease and the spacing in between aftershocks will be far in between,” he said.
Earthquakes are unlikely to cause significant damage unless they come from the West Valley Fault that stretches from Bulacan to Laguna and passes through Metro Manila, he said.
“Please don’t panic. Be calm during an event. What is important is understand the scenario,” he said.
A magnitude 4.5 aftershock struck Zambales province at 2:02 a.m. Wednesday, PPHIVOLCS said.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported Wednesday that the number of people injured in Monday’s magnitude 6.1 earthquake has climbed to 86.
In its 6 a.m. update Wednesday, the agency said the number of dead is still at 16 and the missing at 14.
All these figures are from Region III alone and are still subject to validation, the agency added.
The number of families affected by the earthquake has now reached 358 or 1,938 persons residing in seven cities and municipalities, also in Region III.
Of these, 245 families or 1,271 individuals are now being aided in four evacuation centers while another 108 families are being assisted outside of evacuation centers.
The NDRRMC reported that 80 structures and buildings suffered varying degrees of damage in Region III and the National Capital Region.
A total of 67 houses were reported damaged in Bataan and Pampanga, 54 of which were wrecked. The remaining 13 were partially damaged.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said Monday’s quake also did at least P50 million worth of damage to irrigation canals and dams.
In a briefing in San Fernando, Pampanga, Piñol told President Rodrigo Duterte that agricultural production would not be affected by the quake.
Meanwhile, the number of injured in Eastern Visayas following Tuesday’s magnitude 6.5 earthquake stood at 10, the NDRRMC said.
The 6 a.m. update, signed and released by NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad, said that 35 buildings and structures were damaged in San Julian, Eastern Samar.
Also, the provinces of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar have experienced power interruptions due to the earthquake.
A total of eight schools were damaged by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake, which hit San Julian, Eastern Samar on Tuesday, the Department of Education reported.
In a partial situation report released late Tuesday, DepEd said eight schools in Borongan and Tacloban were damaged by the quake.
These are Maypangdan National High School in Borongan City, and Antionio Balmes National High School, Bayanihan Elementary School, Cirilio Montejo National High School, Nula-tula Elementary School, Scan National High School, Tigbao Diit Central School, V & G National High School—all in Tacloban City.
Most of them had cracked ceilings, floors and walls, broken glass windows, and other minor damage.
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