Strong quake jolts Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY — A strong quake hit Northern Samar on Monday causing minor damages on buildings in the provincial capital sending mall goers into a panic.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded a 5.7 magnitude quake at 11:39 in the morning with the epicenter 34 kms northwest of Pambujan within San Bernardino Strait.

Joy Amor, a broadcaster based in Catarman, Northern Samar, said shoppers of Gaisano Grand, the largest mall in town, went into a panic for fear of a stronger aftershock.

The glass window of a food chain renting on the ground floor of the mall fell due to the strong impact of the earthquake.

The Northern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said no tsumani alert is issued due to absence of physical movement on the coastline.

“Northern Samar is safe from tsunami after 30 minutes without rupture and physical movement of waters along the coastlines affected by Magnitude 6 earthquake 34km North of Pambujan,” the PDRRMO posted in its social media account.

Northern Samar PDRRMO chief Rei Josiah Echano said there were no reports of any major damage in infrastructure in the province within two hours after the quake.

“Some students noted visible cracks in the ceilings and walls of several classrooms and other school facilities,” Echano told Daily Tribune.

“School DRRM personnel, along with SSLG officers, teachers, and utility staff, conducted rounds to ensure the safety and well-being of students. After the inspection, students were advised to proceed home safely,” he added.

Phivolcs reported Intensity V in the Northern Samar towns of Bobon, Catarman, Laoang, Lavezares, Palapag, Rosario and San Roque.

Phivolcs considers an Intensity V earthquake as strong that it is generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. It can awaken sleeping people, hanging objects swing violently, and small, light and unstable objects may fall or overturn.

Intensity IV were reported in Bulusan and the City of Sorsogon; Can-Avid, Eastern Samar; Abuyog, Leyte; and Gandara, Samar.