Aftershocks continue to shake Leyte

MANILA (PNA)   - More aftershocks rocked Leyte province following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake Thursday afternoon.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) science research assistant Bhenz Rodriguez said this agency was able to monitor, as of 5 a.m. Friday (July 7), 241 aftershocks.

"Further aftershocks of such earthquake this Thursday (July 6) are still possible," he said.

Some of the forthcoming aftershocks may be felt, he noted.

Several of those aftershocks may even increase damage of structures the earthquake already affected, he continued.

He urged people to avoid panicking and to instead duck, cover and hold if they feel strong ground shaking from the earthquake's aftershocks.

Citing latest available data, Phivolcs said the 4:03 p.m. earthquake of tectonic origin struck 15 km north 39° east of Leyte's Ormoc City at a depth of 2.0 km.

Phivolcs initially located the earthquake's epicenter near Ormoc's neighbor Jaro municipality.

Rodriguez said most of the earthquake's aftershocks that Phivolcs monitored so far were concentrated in the Jaro-Ormoc area.

Those aftershocks' magnitude ranged from 1.5 to 4.3, he noted.

He said beginning Friday, Phivolcs will deploy its technical experts to assess conditions in Leyte.

Phivols said the earthquake was reported at Intensity 7 (Ormoc City and Kananga, Leyte), Intensity 6 (Jaro and Capoocan, Leyte), Intensity 5 (Palo, Leyte; Tacloban City; Cebu City; Mandaue City), Intensity 4 (Catbalogan City; Cabucgayan and Naval, Biliran; Tolosa and Bato, Leyte; Hinunangan, Southern Leyte; Sagay City, Negros Occidental; Burgos, Surigao del Norte; Biliran, Leyte), Intensity 3 (Bogo City and Talisay, Cebu; Roxas City; Iloilo City; Bacolod City; Inopacan and Baybay, Leyte; Sogod, Southern Leyte; Calatrava, Negros Occidental; Tagbilaran City; Jagna, Bohol; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Guihulngan City and Tayasan, Negros Oriental; Cadiz City and Toboso, Escalante, Negros Occidental), Intensity 2 (Libjo, San Jose, Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands; Sorsogon City; Lapu-lapu City; San Juan, Southern Leyte; Javier, Leyte; Tanjay City and Sibulan, Negros Oriental; Sorsogon City; Dumaguete City) and Intensity I (La Carlota City, Negros Occidental; Catarman, Northern Samar).

The earthquake was also reported at instrumental intensities IV (Catbalogan City), III (Argao, Cebu), II (Palo, Leyte; Roxas City; Lapu-lapu City; Iloilo City) and I (Bago City; La Carlota City), Phivolcs added. (Catherine J. Teves/PNA)