Earthquake. Shutterstock According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), a strong earthquake measuring M6.9 on the Richter scale occurred on Tuesday at 9:59 p.m. local time in the central part of the Philippines.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 19 kilometers northeast offshore of Bogo City at a depth of 5 kilometers. As of 8:00 AM PST on October 1, the DOST-PHIVOLCS Philippine Seismic Network (PSN) has recorded 722 aftershocks in a range between M1.4 and M4.8.
Aftershocks in the epicentral region could persist for a few days up to several weeks, and some may be experienced in nearby provinces as well.
DOST-PHIVOLCS also released, but soon lifted, a tsunami information for minor sea level disturbance along the coasts of Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran Provinces. Some citizens also reported seawater recession in Camotes Island, which DOST-PHIVOLCS will further assess.
As of now, authorities have reported around 70 victims and dozens injured. Cebu declared a state of calamity early on Wednesday, after thousands of people were forced to spend the night on the streets because of the numerous aftershocks.
A minimum of eight major earthquakes with magnitudes between M5.0 and M7.2 have so far affected Cebu and provinces in its vicinity between 1885 and 2013, according to historical data and the DOST-PHIVOLCS Earthquake Catalog. Recent earthquakes worth mentioning are the MS6.9 event in Negros Oriental on February 6, 2012, and the MS7.2 earthquake in Bohol recorded on October 15, 2013. Both caused building and infrastructure damage in Cebu Province.