6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Philippines’ Visayas region

Photo: Philippine Red Cross’ Twitter account
Photo: Philippine Red Cross’ Twitter account

Just a day after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines’ Central Luzon and Metro Manila regions, parts of Visayas island suffered its own quake today.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Eastern Samar this afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Luzon earthquake. According to the Philippine Insitute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOCS), the earthquake hit at 1:37pm today and its epicenter was at the town of San Julian in Eastern Samar. The PHILVOCS said aftershocks are expected to occur.

The quake measured intensity 6 in San Julian; intensity 5 Tacloban and Catbalogan, both Samar; intensity 4 in Iloilo City, Iloilo and Naga City, Camarines Sur; intensity 3 in Legazpi City, Albay and Ormoc City, Leyte; intensity 2 in Daet, Camarines Norte and Roxas City, Capiz; and intensity 1 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

PHILVOCS director Renato Solidum told ABS-CBN News that despite the earthquake, tsunamis are not expected to hit any landmass. He also said that this incident is unrelated to the earthquake felt in Luzon yesterday.

Solidum also told CNN Philippines that while the earthquake was strong, it was not a major one and that damage only occurred “if the structures and houses in the epicenter were not built properly.”

Photos taken by netizen @PhresEvardone show that that’s exactly what happened in San Julian today after huge cracks appeared on the provincial road after the quake.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross posted photos taken by one of its coordinators on Twitter of a slightly damaged office in Catbalogan City.

The Visayas quake led to blackouts in Northern Samar and Eastern SamarRappler reported.

In Luzon, the PHILVOCS is keeping an eye on Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales province because of yesterday’s quake. At present, there are no anomalous activities observed in the volcano, PHILVOCS planning officer Carl Vincent Soriano told radio DZMM.

According to ABS-CBN News, 15 people have died due to the earthquake in Pampanga, a province in Central Luzon that suffered the most damages.



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