Sultan Kudarat town hit by magnitude 5.9 quake

SHAKEN Officials of the municipality of Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat, with its town hall shown in this undated photo, are still assessing the damage caused to the town by the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that rocked the locality at 12:11 a.m. on Easter Sunday. Up to 64 aftershocks were recorded in the same area. —Palimbang Municipal Government/Facebook

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Coastal residents in the town of Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat fled from their homes and sought higher ground following the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that rocked the province and surrounding areas shortly past 12 a.m. on Easter Sunday, the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) reported.

Most of those who evacuated later returned to their residences as advised by their municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer, said the PDRRMO.

The quake, which jolted the town at 12:11 a.m., was tectonic in origin and had its epicenter 50 kilometers southwest of Palimbang. It had a depth of focus of 1 km, which accounted for the strong shaking, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

READ: Magnitude 5.8 quake hits Sarangani

It was felt at Intensity 5 in the towns of Palimbang and Lebak in Sultan Kudarat, and of the same intensity in Kiamba, Sarangani province.

Intensity 4 was recorded in the towns of Alabel, Glan, and Maitum in Sarangani province; T’boli and Tupi towns in South Cotabato; and in the town of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat.

The quake was felt at Intensity 3 in the towns of Maasim, Malapatan, and Malungon, Sarangani province; Banga, Koronadal City, Lake Sebu, Norala, Polomolok, Santo Niño, Surallah, Tampakan, and Tantangan in South Cotabato; General Santos City; and Bagumbayan, Esperanza, Isulan, Lambayong, Lutayan, Senator Ninoy Aquino, and City of Tacurong in Sultan Kudarat.

It was at Intensity 2 in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur; Jose Abad Santos and Santa Maria in Davao Occidental; Davao City; M’lang and Tulunan, Cotabato Province; Columbio and President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat; and at Intensity 1 in Zamboanga City; Magsaysay, Hagonoy, Malalag and Padada towns of Davao del Sur; Makilala, Cotabato province; and Malita and Don Marcelino in Davao Occidental.

Still assessing

PDRRMO personnel in Sultan Kudarat were still in the field trying to monitor and assess the possible damage, the agency said.

Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu, in a post on Facebook, said they were still experiencing aftershocks.

As of 1 p.m., Sunday, the Phivolcs recorded 64 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 1.6 to 5.4. Eighteen of these aftershocks were plotted while eight were being felt.

Mangudadatu urged residents to stay calm but vigilant, even as he assured them there was no tsunami alert issued for coastal municipalities, including Lebak.

Rene Sanchez, municipal agriculturist of Lebak, said they felt the shaking inside their house past midnight on Sunday but they did not evacuate.

Sanchez said they received enough warnings from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council but there was no damage reported in their town, which was 160 km from Palimbang.

Another earthquake was recorded by Phivolcs at 7:06 a.m., measuring up to magnitude 5.2 and was located 482 km southeast of Balut Island in Sarangani, Davao Occidental. No damages or aftershocks, however, were expected by Phivolcs. —with a report from Gillian Villanueva