The southern Philippines was shaken by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake on Friday, the newest seismic activity in the region barely a week after a huge tremor brought mass evacuations and destruction.
The earthquake hit the Mindanao area, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GZF) said. Although preliminary reports on the instant damage caused by the 6.1 earthquake are pending, the quake echoes the Southeast Asian nation’s continuing seismic activity.
Aftershock of the Huge M 7.5 Earthquake
The most recent quake comes after a deadly magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred in the same Mindanao area on October 10. The initial strong quake generated much disruption throughout the southern Philippines.
The extensive impacts of the October 10 quake were:
- Infrastructure Damage: Many school buildings and at least one hospital were affected by damage.
- Power Disruption: General power supply was interrupted in impacted areas.
- Mass Evacuations: The strong quakes prompted a tsunami alert, with officials warning of a “destructive tsunami” with “life-threatening” wave heights. Coastal residents were urged to evacuate to higher ground immediately.
- School Closures: Schools in Davao city, the largest city close to the epicenter with a population of nearly 5.4 million, were evacuated as a precaution.
The Oct 10 earthquake measured at 62 km (38.53 miles) depth by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) was followed by a 6.1 aftershock added to the series of repeat tremors felt in the area, belonging to the Pacific’s unstable “Ring of Fire.” A tsunami warning that followed the 7.5 magnitude earthquake was later canceled.