5.5 temblor strikes quake-weary Mindanao on Undas

Magnitude-5.50 quake shook Sarangani province in Mindanao Friday morning, a day after a strong temblor left five people dead and destroyed buildings in Cotabato province and in Davao City.

In its advisory, PHIVOLCS said the temblor happened at 10:33 a.m. and had a depth of 33 kilometers. It was tectonic in origin.

Rommel Grutas, PHIVOLCS senior science research specialist, said the earthquake was located 334 kilometers southeast of Sarangani.

“Medyo nasa boundary na ito ng Indonesia,” he told Dobol B sa News TV.

No tsunami threat

Later in a television interview, PHIVOLS director Renator Solidum ruled out any tsunamis from occurring because of the quake.

“Ito ay napakalayo na, mahigit 300 kilometro at ang magnitude na ito ay hindi ganun kalakihan 5.5 kaya hindi rin ito pwedeng magdulot ng tsunami. Kaya wala pong dapat ipangamba ang ating mga kababayan,” Solidum told GMA News TV’s Balitanghali.

“Unang-una ang lindol ay wala na sa sakop ng Pilipinas, ito po ay nasa Talaud, Indonesia. Nirefer lang natin dahil nalo-locate natin ang earthquake sa paligid ng Pilipinas at  kailangang bantayan din ang dagat sa Sarangani province,” he added.

Another quake

Hours after the Sarangani quake, or at 2:07 p.m., another quake, this time with a magnitude of 5.0, struck Cotabato. PHIVOLCS said the earthquake was tectonic in origin.

Its epicenter was located at 06.80N, 125.11E - 018 km S 07° E of Makilala.

Meanwhile, the earthquake was felt at Intensity V in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur and Intensity IV in Pikit Cotabato and Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

Though there is no expected damage, PHIVOLCS said there are expected aftershocks.

Recent quakes

Friday morning's earthquake took place on All Saints’ Day when many Filipinos, according to tradition, troop to the cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones.

The island of Mindanao has been hit by three strong quakes in October, two of which happened on Tuesday and Thursday.

The number of people who died in the magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 earthquakes, which struck parts of Mindanao on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, has reached 16, data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed Friday.

In its latest situation report, the NDRRMC said that of the 16 fatalities, three came from Region XI while the remaining 13 were from Region XII.

The Philippines suffers regular tremors as part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. —LBG/KBK/RSJ, GMA News