2 hurt in magnitude 5.8 quake in Leyte
TACLOBAN CITY—Two women were hurt when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook parts of the Leyte and Samar provinces in the early evening of Friday, which left several people rushing out of their homes, as the quake was felt at intensities 4 and 5.
While no major damage was reported, some cracks were seen in some establishments and the municipal hall building of Dulag, prompting its mayor, Joy Siaque, to send a team to assess the town’s structures.
The earthquake, which was tectonic in origin, was recorded at 6:16 p.m. with an epicenter located about 36 kilometers northeast of Abuyog town in Leyte province, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) bulletin.
The police did not receive any report of casualty or damage in Abuyog, where the quake was felt at intensity 5. But in Dulag, about 44 km from Abuyog, two women were reported hurt, one of whom was a 26-year-old pregnant woman who fainted and fell from the stairs of a department store at the town center where she worked. The other victim, the pregnant woman’s 27-year-old female coworker, hurt her leg when she jumped off from the second floor of the store.
“It was the strongest quake that we have experienced since 2013,” said Leah Maasin, Dulag’s municipal disaster risk reduction management officer, referring to the magnitude 7.2 quake that hit Eastern Visayas on Oct. 15 that year.
Residents of the town’s nine coastal villages abandoned their homes out of fear of a possible tsunami and sought higher and safer places minutes after the quake, Maasin said.
“But by 7:30 p.m., we lifted the order and (told them) to return to their respective homes,” Maasin said.
Maasin added that safety inspection were still being done by the town’s engineering department on public and private structures.
‘Shouting everywhere’
In the capital city of Tacloban, where the tremor was felt at intensity 4, several people panicked when they felt the earth move.“There were shouting everywhere. Several people were running, trying to get out of the store. Some of our items were scattered on the floor due to the quake,” said Joel Morante, who works in one of the city’s biggest shopping establishments.
The quake was recorded at intensity 5 in the towns of Abuyog, Burauen, Dulag, La Paz, Macarthur, Mahaplag, Tabontabon and Tolosa in Leyte; and in Hinunangan, Hinundayan and Silago towns in Southern Leyte.
It was felt at intensity 4 in the cities of Tacloban, Ormoc and Baybay and the towns of Barugo, Calubian, Dagami, Hilongos, Jaro, Javier, Julita, Kananga, Palo, Pastrana, San Miguel and Santa Fe in Leyte; the towns of Bontoc, Malitbog and Sogod, in Southern Leyte; City of Borongan and the towns of Balangiga, General Macarthur, Giporlos, Hernani, Lawaan, Llorente and Quinapondan in Eastern Samar; Basey town in Samar; and Jagna town in Bohol.
Intensity 3 was recorded in Tagbilaran City in Bohol and Surigao City in Surigao del Norte; and intensity 2 in Bogo City in Cebu and Pintuyan in Southern Leyte.
As of Saturday, at least 30 aftershocks were detected in the Leyte provinces, the Phivolcs said.
According to Phivolcs, there were 13 aftershocks reported last Friday with magnitude ranging between 1.9 to 3.2 and 17 were reported as of Saturday afternoon with magnitude ranging between 1.6 to 3.1. —WITH REPORT FROM JACOB LAZARO INQ
