Manila: A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit central Philippines on Sunday, the strongest among three other temblors that occurred sequentially in central Philippines, southern Philippines, and northern Luzon on the same day, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
The epicentre of the 5.5 magnitude temblor occurred 79 kilometre northeast of Hernani Eastern Samar at 8:25 Sunday morning, sending Intensity 1 to nearby Tacloban and Catbalogan Cities, areas that were hit hard by Typhoon Hagupit in early December this year, and by Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, Phivolcs said.
“The quake did not damage Eastern Samar, but several aftershocks were recorded there,” said Phivolcs,
The same earthquake was measured at 5.4 in magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Meanwhile, another temblor measuring 2.7 in magnitude occurred 52 kilometre east of Harnani, eastern Samar at 9:24 Sunday morning, Phivolcs said, adding, “This quake was not an aftershock of the first quake.”
Earlier, a 3.5 magnitude quake occurred 136 kilometre southeast of Sarangani, Davao Occidental at 5:16 Sunday morning.
A weak 1.6 magnitude quake also occurred 6 kilometre morthwest of Bangued, Abra in the north at 12:27 Sunday morning.
The Philippines is part of Asia Pacific’s “Ring of Fire” where earthquakes commonly occur.
It is also visited by more than 20 typhoons a year.
