GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/7 Oct) – A 5.2-magnitude earthquake rocked this city and other parts of southwestern Mindanao early this morning, sending some residents scampering out of their homes but no damages or casualties were reported.
Bedoria Abdullah, science research specialist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) station here, said the quake occurred at 5:58 and with its epicenter located at 19 kilometers northeast of the capital town of Isulan in Sultan Kudarat.
“The epicenter was traced on land slightly below Maguindanao and Cotabato City area,” she told MindaNews.
Abdullah said the temblor was generally classified as mild but was significantly felt in some areas in southwestern Mindanao regions as its depth of focus was measured at a shallow 29 kilometers.
She said their initial records showed the quake was felt at intensity four in Matanao town in Davao del Sur; three in Koronadal City, Kidapawan City, Kabacan and Matalam in North Cotabato as well as in the towns of Sta. Cruz, Padada and Malita in Davao del Sur; and two in this city, Davao City, Digos City and Makilala town in Davao del Sur.
Abdullah said they did not receive any immediate report on the quake’s intensity in areas near its epicenter but said there were indications that it was felt as moderately strong.
In Koronadal City, she noted that some residents went out of their homes as a precaution as loud rumbling sounds on the ground were initially heard in the area before the shaking started.
Based on initial responses on the quake’s intensity received by the United States Geological Survey, it was felt at intensity six in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, five in Kidapawan City, four in Koronadal City and three in Davao and General Santos cities.
Based on Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale, an intensity six quake is considered as “very strong.”
“Many people are frightened; many run outdoors; some people lose their balance; motorists feel like driving in flat tires; heavy objects or furniture move or may be shifted; small church bells may ring; wall plaster may crack; very old or poorly built houses and man-made structures are slightly damaged though well-built structures are not affected; limited rockfalls and rolling boulders occur in hilly to mountainous areas and escarpments; and, trees are noticeably shaken,” it said.
But Abdullah said the latest quake, which was the second since Tuesday afternoon, did not require the declaration of tsunami alert in the coastal areas. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)
