THE public is urged to stay alert for strong aftershocks following the magnitude 7.4 offshore earthquake that struck Davao Oriental on Friday.
“So far, the strongest aftershock we’ve recorded is magnitude 5.8. We remind everyone to practice ‘duck, cover, and hold’ during tremors,” said Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol.
Bacolcol advised residents to evacuate buildings immediately after a strong quake and avoid returning to structurally compromised structures.
He noted that aftershocks could reach up to one magnitude lower than the main quake — meaning the strongest possible aftershock could be magnitude 6.4.
According to Bacolcol, the powerful quake originated from the Philippine Trench, a seismically active area. “Earthquakes are normal occurrences because of active faults and trenches. In fact, a magnitude 7.4 quake also hit Surigao del Sur in December 2023,” he said.
He clarified that the Davao Oriental tremor is not connected to the recent Cebu earthquake that occurred on September 30.
Bacolcol said the quake caused minimal damage as it was offshore, and no destructive tsunami was recorded.
