274 aftershocks recorded after Mindanao earthquake —PHIVOLCS

PHIVOLCS has recorded over 200 aftershocks after Wednesday night's 6.3-magnitude earthquake that rocked parts of Mindanao.

Interviewed on Balitanghali on Thursday, PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum said magnitude of the 274 aftershocks ranged from 1.5 to 5.5, with a 4.7-magnitude aftershock striking just before 10 a.m.

Solidum said the earthquake on Wednesday was caused by the horizontal movement of one of the faults they have identified in the Cotabato area.

“Recently identified ang mga fault na ito pero wala kaming binigay na pangalan pa. Ito po ay mga maiikling fault na, dahil maiikli, ibig sabihin hindi talaga malakihan ang lindol na naidudulot nito,” he said.

“Dahil mababaw ‘yung pinagsimulan ng paglindol, malakas ‘yung pagkaramdam ng mga tao diyan sa Cotabato at ilang bahagi ng Davao area, ganun din sa Sultan Kudarat at buong ka-Mindanaoan,” Solidum added.

The PHIVOLCS director also reminded the public that if an earthquake takes place on land, it will not be followed by a tsunami.

He lamented the panicked response of some evacuees who spread word that there would be a tsunami.

“Alam naman ang oras ng high tide at low tide so normally po, puwedeng magkasabay ang lindol sa low tide, at ang low tide dahan-dahan lang bumabagsak, hindi biglaan [...] Unfortunately, kahit naman siguro alam naman ng iba na ganun ang [dapat] mangyari, kapag may sumigaw na bumaba yung tubig at magkaka-tsunami, hindi na nag-iisip,” Solidum said. —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News