DAVAO CITY—A shallow but strong earthquake shook a wide portion of eastern half of Mindanao at late afternoon on Friday. The temblor lasted more for than a minute.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake was measured at a very strong Magnitude 7.2 some 30 kilometers southwest to the sea from the southernmost Sarangani Island of Davao Occidental.
It has a depth of 10 kilometers but its shaking at 4:14 pm was felt strongest at Intensity 8 in General Santos City, Glan Sarangani and many towns of Sarangani and South Cotabato.
It was felt at Intensity 5 in Matanao, Davao del Sur, Maasim and Malapatan towns of Sarangani, Lake Sebu, Tampakan, Polomolok and Banga of South Cotabato.
It was felt at Intensity 4 in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato, Davao City, Magsaysay and many towns of Davao del Sur, Don Marcelino and Jose Abad Santos of Davao Occidental, Kiamba and Maitum of Sarangani, Norala and Tantangan of South Cotabato, President Quirino, Lebak, Isulan, Esperanza, Columbio and Kalamansig of Sultan Kudarat.
Davao City was fortunate though when the quake struck as the city government has called off classes on Friday to preempt any combined impact of heavy rain and thunderstorm to be brought about “by the shear line and trough of a low pressure area in the Pacific.”
The impact of the earthquake was yet to be assessed but initial feedback included the collapse of a construction crane atop a 26-story condominium building along Sandawa Road in New Matina, which fell to a residential yard but there was no immediate report of casualty.
It also sent a government building along MacArthur highway to sound the alarm siren and the San Pedro Cathedral to ring its bells as the quake lasted more than one minute, the longest to shake the area by any earthquake.
Shoppers rushed outside shopping malls and residents trooped to the streets to avoid any incidence of roof or building collapse.
A hotel attendant was also seen banging her fist at a metal chair crying for a stop to the quake.
Image credits: AP/Shaira Ann Sandigan