Published 11:27 IST, October 29th 2019
6.6-magnitude earthquake hits Southern Philippines, 1 killed
6.6-Magnitude earthquake hit the Southern part of the Philippines on October 29, causing buildings to rattle and sending people running out of their homes
An earthquake with 6.6 magnitudes on the Richter scale hit the Southern part of the Philippines on October 29, killing one child and injuring several others. The child was killed after he was crushed by a crumbling wall as he was fleeing his classroom in Magsaysay. According to the US geological survey, the earthquake had struck the island of Mindanao in the same area that had dealt with a strong earthquake in the month of September alongside stating that there was no threat of a Tsunami.
The concerned authorities in the Philippines said that they were expecting some damage after the earthquake. The area affected by the 6.6 magnitude earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks with the strongest one being of a 5.8 magnitude that left people reeling with the anxiety of being caught in resulting collapse during or after the earthquake.
6.4-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Cotabato
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake had hit the Mindanao island on October 16 as people fled their homes and a shopping center caught fire due to violent shaking in the central part of Mindanao. The quake was the cause of power cuts and strong aftershocks in a few areas.
The epicenter was in Cotabato, which has a total population of 33258 people. Naru Guarda Cabaddu, a consultant in a hotel, stated that as soon as the quake hit, there was a sudden blackout and he saw people running down and towards the exit doors as everybody was panicking about the situation.
According to reports, 20 people suffered injuries due to falling debris and furniture from homes that were damaged. Also, one child lost his life while another person is in the critical care unit. The earthquake was considered to be strong and shallow and had a depth of 8 miles. Although, shallow quaked are considered to result in much more damage than the quakes that are deeper.
Philippines lies on Ring of fire
The Philippines is considered to be one of the world's most disaster-prone nations as it has been subject to frequent earthquakes that have caused extensive damage alongside active volcanic activities because it lies on the Pacific "ring of fire", an active arc of volcanos and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
Updated 12:31 IST, October 29th 2019