MANILA, Philippines – A 5.4 magnitude earthquake of tectonic origin again hit Leyte Monday morning.
The tremor’s epicenter was traced nine kilometers southeast of Ormoc City and occurred at 9:41 a.m. It was an aftershock of an earlier earthquake last week, according the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Damage in areas struck by the temblor is expected.
These severities were felt in the following areas:
-Intensity V – Ormoc City
-Intensity IV – Mayorga, Leyte and Tacloban City; Mandaue City
-Intensity II – Lapu-Lapu City
The following instrumental Intensities were also reported in these areas:
-Intensity III – Cebu City
-Intensity II – Palo, Leyte
-Intensity II – Lapu-Lapu City
At 9:54 a.m., another 3.2 magnitude quake was felt in Leyte, with its epicenter traced 18 kilometers southeast of Ormoc. Philvocs said this was another aftershock of the tremor that struck Leyte last week. This was followed by another 2.2 magnitude aftershock at 11:48 a.m.
Last Friday, Leyte, which up to now suffers from the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda, was rocked by a magnitude 6.5 tremor that killed two in Ormoc and Kananga town, caused landslides, damaged roads, and left hundreds homeless and without power.
Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez was supposed to present the city’s situation Monday morning when the 5.4 magnitude temblor again jolted Leyte, prompting him, Philvocs Director Renato Solidum Jr., and other government employees to vacate the city hall and scamper to safety.
At the New Ormoc City National High School, classes were suspended Monday after many students reportedly lost consciousness and one had an epilepsy attack as the quake triggered a stampede.
Earlier in the day, Solidum, who is also Department of Science and Technology undersecretary, inspected the fault line in Ormoc’s Barangay Tongonan and observed that the strong tremor last Friday had lifted portions of the ground in the village. He recommended the evacuation of residents from the area.
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