Magnitude 5.5-quake rocks Surigao Del Norte

MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolted Surigao del Norte Friday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The quake, tectonic in origin, hit 70 kilometers off the waters southeast of General Luna town at 1:26 p.m. It was earlier recorded as magnitude 5.3 quake before it was revised to a magnitude 5.5.

Tremors were recorded at Intensity 2 in Surigao. This means the shaking was only slightly felt by a few individuals at rest indoors and caused hanging objects to swing slightly.

The following instrumental intensities were reported in these areas:

• Intensity 2-Gingoog City
• Intensity 1- Surigao City

Phivolcs also recorded 18 aftershocks between 1:31 p.m. to 3:06 p.m. The strong aftershocks have magnitudes of 5, 4.4 and 4.2.

The quake came days after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake and a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked parts of Luzon and Visayas, respectively.

The country's numerous active faults record at least 20 minor shakes every day, Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum earlier told reporters on the sidelines of the “Megacities at Risk: Engineering Resilience to Seismic Hazards” forum in Makati City. 

“We record 20 earthquakes every day although these are not given much attention because these are weak. It is the stronger ones that get reported. Those (recent) quakes are just coincidence,” Solidum said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico