6.5 magnitude quake jolts Davao Oriental
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Mati City in Davao Oriental Saturday morning but it has not brought casualties and damage to properties.
The quake, which was tectonic in origin, struck at 6:53 am, according a bulletin from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
It has a depth of 38 kilometers and about 51 kilometers southeast of Mati. A total of 19 aftershocks occurred, the strongest of which is a magnitude 4.9 that struck at 7:45 am. The last aftershock registered 2.8 magnitude at 12:14 pm.
Intensity 5 was felt in Mati, Davao City, Tagum City, Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte and the municipality of Baganga, Davao Oriental.
Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum allayed fears Saturday morning the earthquake would bring tsunamis.
"It's very deep. It will not bring any significant effect," Solidum said in an interview over dzBB radio.
Leo Sampiri, Mati disaster risk reduction action officer, said all the city’s 26 barangays, including 15 in the coastal villages, did not not sustain any damage to infrastructure and properties.
"We have not received reports of casualties," Sampiri said in a separate radio interview. Emmanuel Tupas
