Shallow quake in Mindanao leaves more than 50 people injured

church damaged by shallow quake
One of the churches damaged in today’s quake. Picture by Ronel Crizaldo via Twitter.

Fifty-one people were injured and a number of buildings damaged when a 5.8-magnitude shallow quake struck the northeast coast of Mindanao island.

The earthquake was recorded at 4.42am today (Saturday, July 13) and followed by at least seven aftershocks. Its epicentre was nine kilometres southeast of Carrascal, Surigao Del Sur.

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The quake also led the Madrid District Hospital to be evacuated after cracks appeared on its concrete walls. The roof of an old car park in the district collapsed, causing slight damage to the town’s two fire trucks and three cars.

The impact was also felt in four nearby towns, where homes, two churches, a hotel, a gym, a bridge and a public market were all damaged. Fallen power pylons also led to the closure of a main road. 

The US Geological Service has said that the quake occurred at a depth of 11.8km. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) had earlier put the depth at five kilometres and recorded the quake at magnitude 5.5.

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The shallow quake was felt in various intensities in the following areas: 

  • Intensity V- Carrascal, Surigao Del Sur; Butuan City
  • Intensity IV – Surigao City; Tandag City; Gingoog City and Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental; Tandag City; Talacogon, Agusan Del Sur
  • Intensity III – Cagwait, Surigao Del Sur; Balingoan, Salay, Balingasag, Jasaan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental; Cagayan De Oro City
  • Intensity II – Mambajao, Camiguin

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The country’s most recent deadly quake occurred in April when at least 11 people were killed and a supermarket collapsed in a 6.3-magnitude tremor that hit near Angeles City.

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