No tsunami warning after magnitude 5.9 quake hits Sultan Kudarat — PHIVOLCS

No tsunami warning has been issued following the earthquake swarm in Sultan Kudarat, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Wednesday.

PHIVOLCS Executive Director Teresito Bacolcol said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines Wednesday was not strong enough to generate a tsunami.

“Walang tsunami warning kasi kapag 5.9 magnitude ang lindol, hindi ito kayang mag-generate ng tsunami,” Bacolcol told Super Radyo dzBB.

(There is no tsunami warning because a magnitude 5.9 earthquake cannot generate a tsunami.)

Bacolcol said five earthquakes with an intensity of more than V were recorded in Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday.

“These are called earthquake swarms, but they do not automatically mean that a stronger earthquake will follow,” he said.

“At present, it is difficult to say whether this will lead to a major movement, and we do not have the technology to predict if a larger earthquake will occur next,” Bacolcol added.

He explained that the earthquake swarm was caused by the slow and gradual release of stress along the Cotabato Trench, which triggered the magnitude 5.9 earthquake.

Bacolcol advised residents in affected areas to remain alert and be prepared for possible evacuations.

From January 16 to January 28, PHIVOLCS recorded 1,646 consecutive earthquakes in the vicinity of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat.—MCG, GMA Integrated News