Manila [Philippines], February 16: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck at 2:10 am in the town of Batuan in Masbate province, a category 5 municipality with at least 15,000 inhabitants. Phivolcs reported that the depth of the quake was 10 km and forecast aftershocks and damage. As of about 8:20 a.m., Phivolcs had recorded at least 30 aftershocks.
Masbate Provincial Sheriff RollyAlbana said the quake was "slightly strong and woke everyone up". Police have not received any reports of damage.
Gregorio Adigue, a disaster response official in the municipality of Dimasalang, said he felt a strong aftershock about an hour after the quake. However, there are no signs of damage yet and officials will inspect the buildings later.
The provincial Department of Education informed students to stay away from school on February 16 due to the continued occurrence of aftershocks.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, head of the Masbate Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Adonis Dilao, said the provincial hall was damaged but there were no reports of injuries. Earlier, Masbate province also recorded a magnitude 5 earthquake on February 15. Mr. Dilao said that the earthquake occurred at dawn, causing many people to wake up and not dare to return to their homes because of the aftershocks. "Power poles shook, parked cars also shook," Dilao said.
RedenTolledo, Uson Metropolitan Police Chief, said some residents fled their homes when the quake struck. "I also ran outside because of the risk of aftershocks," Tolledo said.
At the provincial hospital, patients were moved to tents set up outside as a precaution. No patients were injured. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) announced that Masbate and Ticao islands were without power. OCD urges people to take self-protection measures during earthquakes.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is an area of ​​great seismic and volcanic activity, stretching from Japan to Southeast Asia.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper