Twin quakes shake Itbayat, Batanes anew
Aerial photo shows the extent of damage caused by the earthquakes that hit Itbayat, Batanes on July 27. On Saturday, two aftershocks again shook the country’s northernmost municipality. (Malacañang Photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Two earthquakes shook Itbayat, Batanes on Saturday as the country’s northernmost municipality still reels from devastating tremors that left nine people dead late last month.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the tremors that were aftershocks of the July 27 quakes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded the first quake at 7:55 a.m. It centered 28 kilometers southeast of Itbayat, which felt the tremor at Intensity IV.
The second weaker quake, with a magnitude of 2.8, occurred at 8:30 a.m. about 30 km southeast of Itbayat at a shallow depth of 19 km. Intensity III was felt in the town.
Both tremors were tectonic in origin.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
