DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 Sept) – Parents embraced their terrified children in an urban poor village here when a magnitude 6.5 quake struck this city and neighboring areas at 6:53 a.m. Saturday but there were no reported deaths, injuries or damage to property.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in its Earthquake Information No. 2 issued at 7:25 a.m. said it was not expecting any damage.
The City Government of Davao announced through its Facebook account that “Central 911 Chief Emmanuel Jaldon said impact of the tremor in the city is being monitored. So far, 911 has not received calls or reports regarding this.”
But the quake, felt at Intensity V in Davao City, prompted Fr. Joel Tabora, president of the Ateneo de Davao University to call off all classes and activities “pending evaluation of our facilities.”
Phivolcs reported the epicenter at 41 kilometers southeast of Mati City in Davao Oriental, with a depth of 42 kilometers.
The quake, of tectonic origin, was felt at Intensity V in the cities of Mati and Davao; Intensity IV in General Santos City; Alabel, Glan and Malapatan in Sarangani; and Polomolok in South Cotabato; and Intensity III in Tupi, South Cotabato and Cagayan de Oro City.
The Phivolcs also reported aftershocks of 2.8 magnitude at 7:45 a.m., 38 kilometers southeast of Mati; 2.9 magnitude at 8:38 a.m., 45 kilometers southeast of Mati; and 2.3 magnitude at 8:49 a.m., 62 kilometers southeast of Mati.
Twenty days ago, a magnitude 6 quake struck Talacogon in Agusan del Sur at 10:38 a.m. on Sunday, September 4, but there were also no reports of deaths, injuries or damages to property. (MindaNews)
