Villagers in Philippines return home after quake
Source: Agencies |
September 2, 2012, Sunday
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THOUSANDS of villagers who fled their coastal homes during a powerful earthquake in the central Philippines returned home yesterday, but hundreds more still jittery from the temblor remained in evacuation centers, officials said.
The magnitude-7.6 quake struck off the Philippines' east coast late on Friday, killing one person in a house collapse, knocking out power in several towns and spurring panic about a tsunami that ended up generating only tiny waves.
The quake hit at a depth of 34.9 kilometers and was centered 106 kilometers east of Samar Island, the United States Geological Survey said.
No large tsunami was generated by the quake and it caused only minor damage, including cracks in buildings and several bridges, Civil Defense chief Benito Ramos said.
About 140 aftershocks had been recorded by early yesterday, including two with a magnitude of 6.4, said Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Panicked residents in Samar Province's coastal towns headed for high ground, Ramos said. "Some rested under tall trees they planned to climb if tsunami waves reached them."
He said hundreds of nervous villagers remained in evacuation centers in Eastern Samar but were expected to return home later yesterday.
A house collapsed in southern Cagayan de Oro city, on the main southern island of Mindanao, killing a 54-year-old woman and injuring her five-year-old grandson, said the city's mayor, Vicente Emano.
Solidum said the biggest tsunami that came ashore on Siargao Island was less than half a meter high. The island is a popular surfing spot about 750km southeast of Manila.
The quake snapped some power lines in Tandag City in Surigao del Sur Province.
The magnitude-7.6 quake struck off the Philippines' east coast late on Friday, killing one person in a house collapse, knocking out power in several towns and spurring panic about a tsunami that ended up generating only tiny waves.
The quake hit at a depth of 34.9 kilometers and was centered 106 kilometers east of Samar Island, the United States Geological Survey said.
No large tsunami was generated by the quake and it caused only minor damage, including cracks in buildings and several bridges, Civil Defense chief Benito Ramos said.
About 140 aftershocks had been recorded by early yesterday, including two with a magnitude of 6.4, said Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Panicked residents in Samar Province's coastal towns headed for high ground, Ramos said. "Some rested under tall trees they planned to climb if tsunami waves reached them."
He said hundreds of nervous villagers remained in evacuation centers in Eastern Samar but were expected to return home later yesterday.
A house collapsed in southern Cagayan de Oro city, on the main southern island of Mindanao, killing a 54-year-old woman and injuring her five-year-old grandson, said the city's mayor, Vicente Emano.
Solidum said the biggest tsunami that came ashore on Siargao Island was less than half a meter high. The island is a popular surfing spot about 750km southeast of Manila.
The quake snapped some power lines in Tandag City in Surigao del Sur Province.
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