Residents worry as sinkholes appear in quake-hit Daanbantayan, Cebu

Some residents of Daanbantayan, Cebu, are worried about their safety after the discovery of at least two sinkholes following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday. 

In Sitio Mayjo, Barangay Paypay, a four-meter-deep sinkhole was discovered, and the other was spotted close to the coast.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, sinkholes "are depressions or holes in the ground caused by the dissolution, collapse, or erosion of rock below the land surface."

"The formation of sinkholes can be influenced by heavy or prolonged rainfall, changing groundwater levels (natural and anthropogenic), inundation (e.g., flooding or pipe leakage), loading (e.g., flooding or construction), erosion, weathering, and ground vibration," it said.

Authorities in Daanbantayan said it's not safe to live next to sinkholes.

"Kinakabahan po ako siyempre sa ganyang sitwasyon. Gabi-gabi na lang sa labas kami natutulog, sa umaga hindi na kami nananatili sa bahay dahil mapanganib nga po yung sinkhole," said Jhepone Racem Granada, a seafarer whose house is situated near the sinkhole in Sitio Mayjo, in Ian Cruz's report on "24 Oras" on Friday.

(I'm getting nervous in this situation. We're sleeping outside every night; we don't stay home in the morning because it's dangerous due to the sinkhole.)

The earthquake also damaged houses, the municipal hall, bridges, and a church in Daanbantayan. —VBL, GMA Integrated News