PHIVOLCS: 233 aftershocks recorded as of Wednesday afternoon

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said it has registered 233 aftershocks as of 2 p.m. after the Magnitude 7 earthquake hit Abra on Wednesday.

According to Bernadette Reyes' report on “24 Oras”,  the PHIVOLCS said more aftershocks were expected in the next  two to three days.

PHIVOLCS officer in charge Dr. Renato Solidum said buildings, houses, and roads should be inspected to make sure they are in good condition after the earthquake.

“Yung mga aftershocks po usually ay mga one order of magnitude ang posibleng sumunod na lindol medyo malakas po yan kung may mga magnitude 6 kaya nga marapat na mainspeksyon at huwag muna gamitin ang may sira baka matuluyan makaroon pa ng dagdag ng damage at bumagsak kung magkaroon pa ng malakas na aftershock,” PHIVOLCS Officer-in-Charge Dr. Renato Solidum Jr. said.

(The aftershocks are usually one order of magnitude, the possible next earthquake is quite strong if there is a magnitude 6. Infrastructures should be inspected first and stay on the damaged buildings because it might end up causing more damage and collapse if there is more of a strong aftershock.)

The earthquake that jolted in Tayum, Abra on Wednesday morning is reported to be the strongest quake after the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Bohol in 2013.

It is said to be a tectonic earthquake that may have been caused by the movement of the Abra river fault which last moved in the recorded magnitude 4 earthquake in 1868.

“Ito pong fault na ito ay known active fault na posible talagang kumilos at nasa range ng expected nating earthquake yung mga major earthquake events like magnitude 7,” Solidum said.

(This fault is a known active fault that is really possible to move and is in the range of our expected earthquake, the major earthquake events like magnitude 7.)

Apart from Abra, areas in Vigan, Ilocos Sur were also severely affected.

“Ang Vigan City po ay isang siyudad na nasa flood plain ng malaking ilog galing Abra. Kaya yung kinatatayuan niya mga mabuhangin at liquid faction prone ibig sabihin malambot so meron po talagang epekto yung pagkamalambot,” Solidum said.

(Vigan City is a city that is in the flood plain of the big river from Abra. That's why it was standing on sandy and liquid faction prone, which means soft, so the softness really has an effect.)

Based on the assessment meeting, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said the magnitude 7 earthquake in Abra was almost as strong as the magnitude 7.7 quake that hit Baguio City in July 1990.

“But hopefully it is not damaging compared to that. Intensity parang magkapareho (it is like the same),” Jalad said in a “24 Oras” report by Joseph Morong.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said a total of 14 national roads were impassable to traffic due to rock fall, soil collapse, and safety reasons as a result of the earthquake.

“I hope it’s not really going to be a major kuwan dito kasi ‘yung slab lang—‘yung approach slab lang as they reported to me. ‘Yung approach slab ang medyo naapektuhan, hindi naman yata ‘yung main structure natin. I hope it’s not going to be a major repair,” DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said.

The Department of Energy, on the other hand, said the quake caused power outages in several areas in Northern Luzon.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said the earthquake left five people dead and 64 others injured.

Based on its latest report on Wednesday afternoon,  OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Alejandro IV said two fatalities were in La Trinidad and Tuba, Benguet and one each in the areas of Balbalan, Kalinga; Bangued, Abra; and Gattaran, Cagayan. -Richa Noriega/NB, GMA News