MANILA: At least one person was killed and 25 injured when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday shook the central Philippines.
The tremor caused damage to buildings and roads and many residents to flee their homes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province at 8:03 a.m. local time with the US Geological Survey (USGS) measuring its magnitude at a slightly stronger 6.7 on the Richter scale.
The tremors, which lasted for about 20 seconds, triggered panic in Visayas and parts of Luzon.
At intensity 7, described by the Phivolcs as “destructive,” the quake was felt in the municipality of Cataingan, which has a population of nearly 50,000, while it recorded 5 in Masbate City and the towns of Almagro and Tagapul-an in the neighboring province of Samar.
An intensity of 4 or “moderately strong shaking” was recorded in Palanas and San Jacinto, Masbate; Sorsogon City; Legazpi City, Albay; San Andres, Quezon; Mapanas and Palapag, Northern Samar; Barugo, Dagami, Dulag, Julita, La Paz, Palo, and Tanauan in Leyte; and Sagay City, in Negros Occidental.
Masbate provincial police said retired police colonel, Gilbert Sauro, was killed when his house in Concepcion village, Cataingan collapsed. Other members of his family were reported to have escaped from the building unharmed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 25 people were injured in Palanas, Pio V. Corpuz, and Uson in Masbate province.
Meanwhile, 101 people being quarantined in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) centers at Cataingan Astrodome and Cataingan Municipal College had to be relocated after both structures sustained damage caused by the earthquake. Patients from the Cataingan District Hospital were also evacuated as a safety precaution.
Other damaged structures, based on initial assessment by authorities, included the Cataingan old and new public market, the municipal police station, the public attorney’s office, and road sections. At least 16 houses were also reportedly destroyed.
Officials said the quake had caused a massive landslide in the town of Pio V. Corpus, while a sinkhole had appeared in a village in the area.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque pledged government help for victims of the earthquake, adding that Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte would “certainly want to visit the affected communities, but it will be a decision to be discussed between him (Duterte) and his security team.
“Instinctively, the president wants to fly to Masbate but whether or not he will be allowed, we’ll see,” he added.
Earlier, Malacanang had said that the Presidential Security Guard had limited the president’s public engagements to ensure his health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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