Natural disaster
Earth in the Philippines continues to rumble: many aftershocks
A strong earthquake occurred off the coast of the Philippine island of Mindanao. photo
© Ivy Marie Mangadlao/AP
The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire. An earthquake at the weekend caused horror – and the earth continues to rumble.
The earth in the south of the The Philippines cannot calm down: more than 1,600 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday’s massive tremors, said the local earthquake monitoring station Philvolcs.
During the night there was another severe earthquake of magnitude 6.8 in the same province, it was said. The population should expect further tremors in the next few weeks, but the intensity will lessen over time, said Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol on Philippine television.
Tsunami warning has been lifted
The quake on Saturday off the coast of Surigao Del Sur province in the east of the island of Mindanao occurred at a shallow depth. The US earthquake monitoring station had estimated the quake at magnitude 7.6, the Philippine authorities at 7.4. An initial tsunami warning was later lifted.
Pregnant woman dies
A pregnant woman died in the rubble of a house. At least four other people were injured. Hundreds of homes and two bridges were damaged, some severely. “Those affected should remain in evacuation centers and consult with civil engineers whether it is already safe to return to their homes,” Bacolcol explained. “If there are visible cracks or damage, the houses could collapse in a strong aftershock.”
The Southeast Asian island nation lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on earth. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are not uncommon. In 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused severe devastation on the island of Luzon. More than 2,400 people died at that time.