MANILA — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the strength of the earthquake that struck off Hinatuan to magnitude 7.4 and reported logging several aftershocks in Surigao del Sur early morning on Sunday.
The strong temblor occurred at 10:37 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, and was earlier reported to be at magnitude 7.5 and then changed to 6.9. Phivolcs changed it again to 7.4 in a bulletin issued at 3:23 a.m. on December 3.
The quake triggered tsunami warnings from authorities in the country and even Japan.
But Phivoilcs lifted the tsunami alert for the Philippines on Sunday morning.
State seismologists said the aftershocks that occurred between 12:03 a.m. and 10:02 a.m. in Surigao del Sur, affecting areas near Hinatuan, Bislig City, and Tandag City, range from 1.4- to 6.2-magnitude.
The perceived shaking intensity was based on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Seismology of the Michigan Technological University, according to Phivolcs.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes on Sunday.
A woman was killed when a wall collapsed as she and her family were fleeing their home in search of safety in Tagum city in Davao del Norte province, said disaster official Mon Cabonilas.
“The tsunami threat associated with this earthquake has now largely passed the Philippines,” Phivolcs said in a statement but advised people in threatened communities to heed the instructions from local authorities.
In the coastal town of Carrascal in Surigao del Sur, all evacuees have returned to their homes, disaster official Antonio told DWPM radio station. “We are ready in case there is a need to evacuate again.”
More than 600 aftershocks were recorded, and Phivolcs urged caution as people resumed normal activities.
The Philippine Coast Guard put all its vessels and aircraft on alert for potential dispatch.
“We started going back to our homes early on Sunday, although we are still shaking because of aftershocks,” Julita Bicap, 51, a front desk staffer at GLC Suites hotel in the seaside town of Bislig, said on Sunday morning after power was restored around 5 a.m.
“There are aftershocks even now. Last night we were at the evacuation center, including my two foreigner guests. One of them came back to the hotel already,” Bicap told Reuters, adding that she noticed a small crack in the hotel’s front wall.
Authorities recorded minor damage to homes, while the aviation agency reported minor cracks on wall tiles in some regional airports.
The strongest aftershock was magnitude 6.5, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies on the “Ring of Fire”, a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is prone to seismic activity. (© Reuters, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
