The aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted Cebu province could persist for days and weeks as authorities urged the affected residents to exercise caution when returning to visibly-damaged buildings.
At least 69 fatalities have so far been reported, while 147 others were injured due to the temblor, which caused massive damage to infrastructure and widespread power outages in the province.
The earthquake struck off Cebu province at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday, with the epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Since then, at least 990 aftershocks have been detected, the Phivolcs said in its 7:30 p.m. report on Wednesday.
However, only seven of these aftershocks were felt, the strongest of which was measured at magnitude 4.8.
‘These aftershocks could persist for several days to weeks, and some may be felt in nearby provinces,’ the Phivolcs said on Wednesday.
Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said it may not be safe for some affected residents to return home.
‘Aftershocks could still occur so if it is still not safe to return to your dwellings, offices, then let’s not do that until it’s declared to be safe,’ Alejandro said in a PTV-4 interview.
Some residents of Bogo City-the hardest-hit area where almost half of reported fatalities were recorded at 30-take this warning to heart.
Joan Ylanan, resident of Polambato village, said her family would be spending another night on a field even if their residence did not sustain any damage.
‘We’re still afraid because of the many aftershocks,’ Ylanan, 25, said in Cebuano in a Cebu Daily Inquirer interview.
Ylanan, who said her family has not had a wink of sleep since the earthquake, has only one wish: ‘I hope it does not rain.’
Cebu and neighboring provinces are situated in one of the seismically active regions in the country.
Among the earthquake sources there are the Bogo Fault, Daanbantayan Lineament, and the Cebu Fault System, as well as local inland and offshore faults.
Tuesday’s earthquake was traced to an ‘offshore active fault NE (northeast) of Cebu Island,’ according to Phivolcs.