GenSan rocked by magnitude-5.5 quake

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) A magnitude-5.5 earthquake shook General Santos City around 3:13 a.m. Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

No damage or injuries were reported from the quake, which Phivolcs said on its website was tectonic in origin and occurred under the sea, some 222 kilometers southeast of the city.

Phivolcs said it expected aftershocks.

About an hour earlier, a magnitude-4 earthquake, also tectonic in origin, jolted some areas of Northern Samar, Phivolcs said. The quake’s epicenter was located 59 kilometers northeast of Catarman town.

Six quakes also jolted Abra province this week, with five of the occurrences recorded on Monday alone, Phivolcs said. No damage or injuries were reported from any of them.

The first earthquake occurred on May 8, some five kilometers northeast of Bangued town. It measured magnitude 3.1 and was tectonic in origin, Phivolcs said.

Tuesday’s fifth quake in Abra measured 3.8 and was felt at intensity II in some areas of nearby Ilocos Sur, including Vigan.