Magnitude 6.2 quake jolts Batanes, tremors also shake two other areas

Batanes (Photo by BingBing on Wikimedia Commons)

MANILA — A magnitude 6.2 earthquake jolted Batanes province before noon Friday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its bulletin, the agency said the tremor occurred at 11:29 a.m. with its epicenter traced at 214 kilometers southwest of Itbayat in Batanes.

Phivolcs said Calayan town in Cagayan and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte felt the quake at Intensity 3, while Vigan, Ilocos Sur felt the tremor at Intensity 2.

The tremor, which was tectonic in origin, had a shallow depth of 32 kilometers.

According to the agency, there was no casualty nor damage reported from the quake but aftershocks are expected in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs also recorded two other earthquakes in Sorsogon and Davao Oriental provinces.

The agency said a magnitude 3.3 tremor in Sorsogon at around 12:01 p.m.

The epicenter of the tectonic quake was estimated at 37 kilometers southeast of Prieto Diaz in Sorsogon.

The tremor had a shallow depth of four kilometers.

Phivolcs also reported that a magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck Davao Oriental province at 12:06 p.m.

The agency said the tremor’s epicenter was traced 149 kilometers southeast of Tarragona in Davao Oriental.

According to the agency, the temblor of tectonic origin had a depth of 32 kilometers.

Phivolcs said there was no casualty or damage reported and no aftershocks were expected from the two quakes.

The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where 20 to 25 earthquakes per day — mostly imperceptible — are common.