4 tectonic quakes shake Siargao Island anew

BUTUAN CITY — Four tectonic earthquakes shook Siargao Island Saturday morning, April 27, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The strongest was a 4.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the Pacific Ocean facing town of General Luna, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte province, on Saturday morning.

The tremor was recorded at 4:28 a.m. and the epicenter plotted 71 kilometers (km) southeast of that country’s surfing capital town of General Luna, with a shallow depth of only 4 km., the state agency said in its bulletin.

At 4:08 a.m. on the same day, a 4.6magnitude tremor was also registered and its epicenter was located 94 km southeast of that same town and island, with a depth of 14 km, Phivolcs also said.

Earlier, at 3:11 a.m., a magnitude 4.6 earthquake was also recorded and its epicenter was located 83 km southeast of that same country’s surfing capital town of General Luna, with a depth of 17 km, it said.

On the same day (April 27), a 4.5-magnitude tremor was also registered and its epicenter was pinpointed 22 km southeast of that same town, island and province, with a depth of 15 km

At least 33 series of mild earthquakes also took place from magnitude 3.9 down to 1.7 were also registered on Saturday morning in General Luna town, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte province.

All the series of tremors that struck in that Pacific Ocean facing town of General Luna were tectonic in origin and the state agency did not raise a tsunami alert.

The Surigao del Norte provincial disaster risk reduction and management council (DRRMC) there reported no damage or injury.

Because of these series of earthquakes, Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol F. Matugas and the province’s First District Solon Rep. Francisco Jose F. Matugas ll ordered on Saturday all rescue teams and personnel of provincial and municipal disaster risk reduction and management councils to be “standby alert” and ready to respond to any untoward incidents cause by the tremor.