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KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 17 April) – A magnitude 5.1 quake jolted residents here at 5:51 p.m. today.
Engr. Milo Tabigue, of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Kidapawan sub-station, said the earthquake’s epicenter was recorded at 6.98 degrees north, 125.03 degrees east or 7 kilometers south, 65 degrees west of Kidapawan City.
Tabigue said the quake was intensity 3 in Kidapawan City and Davao City, although according to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 5 to 5.9 is equivalent to intensity 6 to 7.
It was also felt in nearby towns in North Cotabato, Davao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat, he said.
He has yet to find out if there are aftershocks.
The earthquake was tectonic in origin and the movement a local fault.
An intensity 3 quake can be felt by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake, according to Tabigue. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)