5.9 quake shakes Samar, aftershocks continue till Sunday early morning

MANILA, Philippines—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Samar island Saturday evening with aftershocks felt until early Sunday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

At 3:29 a.m., the strongest at 5.0 magnitude was registered 62 kilometers southeast of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar, according to the latest Phivolcs bulletin.

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

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