5.9 quake jolts Surigao del Norte; 23 hurt

MANILA, Philippines—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Surigao del Norte at 3:58 p.m. Friday, leaving at least 23 people injured, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The tremor centered two kilometers south-southwest of Dinagat Islands near southeastern Surigao del Norte. No tsunami alert was raised.

Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Matugas said at least 20 people were injured in a stampede at a mall packed with shoppers.

Glass panels were shattered but it was not immediately clear if they were damaged by the quake or broken by panicked shoppers.

Matugas said three were hurt in a gymnasium where a cable broke.

Phivolcs said the quake was felt at varying intensities in different areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

• Intensity VI: Surigao City
• Intensity V: General Luna, Surigao del Norte; Basilisa, Dinagat; San Ricardo, Southern Leyte
• Intensity IV: Carrascal, Surigao del Sur; Tandag City
• Intensity III: Tolosa and Tacloban Leyte; Davao City; Bislig City; Borongan, Oras, Sulat, Dolores, Eastern Samar; Cateel, Taragona, Davao Oriental; Cagayan de Oro City; Cagwait, Surigao del Sur; Catbalogan, Samar; Maasin & Hinunangan, Southern Leyte;
• Intensity II: Cebu City; Butuan City; San Agustin, Surigao del Sur
• Intensity I: Hibok-Hibok, Camiguin

Last month, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake in the central Philippines triggered landslides that left over a hundred dead or missing.

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

One fault line runs directly under Metro Manila, which is home to more than 12 million people, and government seismologists have warned the metropolis is unprepared for a major quake. With the Associated Press