54 aftershocks logged following 6.8-magnitude quake off Cagwait town

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 54 aftershocks following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off Cagwait Municipality in Surigao del Sur early Monday, state seismologists said.

Of the 54 aftershocks, Phivolcs said that only 13 were recorded with magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 5.6.

The tectonic tremor struck 63 kilometers east-southeast of Cagwait at 3:49 a.m. with a shallow depth of focus of one kilometer, state seismologists said.

Like the strong magnitude 7.4 earthquake off Hinatuan town in the same province over the weekend, Phivolcs said the Philippine trench triggered the latest magnitude 6.8 temblor.

However, Phivolcs told reporters that “this is a different event” from the magnitude 7.4 tremor and not an aftershock.

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