5.9 quake shakes Samar

MANILA, Philippines—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Samar island Saturday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the offshore quake that struck 85 kilometers northeast of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar. It hit at 9:09 p.m. at a shallow depth of 19 kilometers.

The tremor was felt at Intensity IV in Gamay, Northern Samar; Intensity III in San Policarpio and Oras, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; Palo, Tacloban and Tolosa, Leyte; and Intensity II in Cataingan, Masbate.

At least four aftershocks were recorded by Phivolcs with magnitudes ranging from 3.7 to 5.0.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.