Four Earthquakes Jolted Different Parts of the Philippines in Three Days
A strong magnitude 6.0 shook different parts of Luzon including Metro Manila, 22-April around 5pm and at least 16 people were dead and several reported missing.
Workers fled from the buildings as the emergency alarms went off.
In Pampanga, a supermarket collapsed, leaving some casualties. The rescuers, however, were able to pull out some survivors from the rubble.
Parts of the new airport in Clark was also damaged and was shut down leaving some people hurt and passengers stranded. Operations are still suspended.
Many classes and government offices in Luzon were suspended the day after. Other institutions and universities extended the suspension until 24-April to fully inspect the buildings and infrastructure following the incident. Around 400 aftershocks were recorded.
President Duterte visited Pampanga, the most affected area, on Tuesday for inspection.
On 23-April, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted the Visayas region but no fatalities were reported.
And around 2am of 24-April, another shake was felt in some parts of Central Luzon.
Lastly, a 4.5 magnitude tremor hit Eastern Samar in Mindanao at past noon on the same day. These consecutive earthquakes were felt in the 3 major islands of the country namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The consecutive shaking incited fear among people and many fake news on social media circulated regarding the “Big One’, the name used to refer a major tremor that is believed to cause extensive damage and kill up to 34,000 residents. But the PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) said the recent tremor won’t trigger the West Valley Fault. Luzon has 2 major fault lines; Marikina Valley fault cuts across major cities in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, and the Central Philippine fault.
The Philippines is also part of the so called ‘Ring of Fire’, a belt in the Pacific where several active volcanoes are located and frequent earthquakes take place.
The most destructive quake recorded was in 1990 where Baguio city was the most devastated.The ‘killer quake’, with the magnitude of 7.7, wreaked havoc in a sizable part of Luzon; over 1000 people died, hundreds missing and major establishments collapsed including the Hyatt Terraces Hotel where at least 80 employees and guests died. Major roads were shut down due to landslides that took 3 days to clear off.
Let’s discuss with aimtalk teachers
- Please share your memory about your own earthquake experience. Where were you at the time and what were you doing? What were the aftermath?
- Among all the natural disasters, which one do you fear the most? Why?
- Do you think the frequent natural disasters were brought about by climate change? What’s your opinion on this?
