The earth in the south of the Philippines is not calming down: almost 2,000 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday’s massive tremors, said the local earthquake monitoring station Phivolcs. On Monday night there was another severe earthquake of magnitude 6.8 in the same province, it was said. The population should expect further tremors in the next few weeks, but the intensity will lessen over time, said Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol on Philippine television.
The death toll rose to three, and more than a dozen people were injured, according to authorities. According to civil protection, around 100,000 people were on the run. “Those affected should remain in evacuation centers and consult with civil engineers whether it is already safe to return to their homes,” Bacolcol explained. “If there are visible cracks or damage, the houses could collapse in a strong aftershock.”
The quake on Saturday off the coast of Surigao Del Sur province in the east of the island of Mindanao occurred at a shallow depth. The US earthquake monitoring station had estimated the quake at magnitude 7.6, the Philippine authorities at 7.4. An initial tsunami warning was later lifted.
The Southeast Asian island nation lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on earth. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are not uncommon. In 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused severe devastation on the island of Luzon. More than 2,400 people died at that time.
