LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN MANILA have warned of aftershocks and potential damage following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey.
It was around 2:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) when the shallow earthquake hit near Maragusan municipality in the mountainous gold-mining province of Davao de Oro on Mindanao island.
Although shallow earthquakes are more destructive than deep ones, no major damage was reported right away.
As reported by AFP, authorities in Maragusan are investigating reports of a landslide on a national highway.
He added, without providing his name, that they had heard of no other damage or casualties but that they were checking the villages near the town.
The office building shook, but nothing was broken.
Police in the city of Tagum, about 40 kilometers from Maragusan, reported that the quake lasted about 30 seconds and was followed by aftershocks.
Saying, “We went right away,” is an understatement.
Due to the recent moderate aftershock, we are still outside.
Clemen noted that the tremor was powerful enough to “cause fear,” despite the fact that it did not appear to have caused any damage.
Nearby in New Bataan municipality, Phoebe Alberto and her coworkers at the disaster office escaped the building as it shook.
Currently, “we are still assessing damage to our building, if any,” Alberto said.
Exiting the building, we find ourselves in the great outdoors.
The Philippines is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin, so earthquakes are a daily occurrence there.
Most are too weak to be felt by humans, but occasionally one will come along that is both powerful and destructive.
The civil defense agency of the country routinely conducts exercises where earthquake scenarios are simulated near real fault lines.
The northern Philippines experienced a major earthquake in October.
Dolores, a mountain town in Abra province, was struck by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, which injured several people, damaged buildings, and knocked out electricity throughout the area.
Landslides and ground fissures caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in mountainous Abra last July resulted in the deaths of 11 people and left hundreds more injured.
