Earthquake: 19 died, over 200 wounded as 7.8 temblor hits the Philippines
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: At least 19 people died, and more than 200 were injured after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits the Philippines on Monday, the media reported.
According to early reports, numerous aftershocks followed the 7:37 am quake, which was also felt in nearby Malaysia. Tsunami waves were also detected in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Aftershocks up to 6.5 magnitude were measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
An offshore magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the southern Philippines, damaging many buildings and sending a 1-metre (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts.
A few buildings collapsed and key infrastructure sustained quake damage in the city of General Santos, and tsunami damage was reported in at least one coastal village. Smaller waves were measured in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan.
“It’s a major earthquake,” Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, warning people to seek advice before returning to damaged buildings and houses which could collapse due to aftershocks.
General Santos is a port city of more than 700,000 people that is a regional hub for the tuna export industry and other commerce.
The strongest quake to strike the Philippines this year was centred at sea off Mindanao Island at a depth of 33 kilometres (20 miles), about 32 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province, the reports said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake. The Philippines officials also lifted a tsunami warning by mid-afternoon. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur due to the quake and taller waves, officials said.
Most of the deaths were reported from collapsed buildings and landslides, while thousands of villagers were displaced. Among the dead were seven people in General Santos.
Public schools had barely reopened nationwide on Monday after the summer vacation from April to May when the temblor hit them. More than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies sustained bruises and some fainted in panic.
The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut, and 17 domestic flights were cancelled.
The quake was also felt in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo Island, just a boat ride away from southern Philippines. An 83-centimetre (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured by a gauge off Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island.
Waves were detected on the remote Japanese island of Chichijima and the central Japanese town of Kushimoto, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The USGS reported the depth of the original quake at 55 kilometres (34 miles). Aftershocks as strong as 6.5 magnitude were recorded.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.
