Strong earthquake shakes Surigao, Philippines – 45 injured, 4 houses destroyed, 34 houses partially damaged.

Last update: March 21, 2012 at 7:33 am by By

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A strong earthquake has struck the Philippines near Surigao. With a magnitude of M5.9 and a depth of 16km, some damage could be expected in Surigao.  The town of Dinagat is only 2km from the predicted epicenter.

Update 21/03:- 45 people have been injured as a result of this earthquake, with 5 people hospitalised – this is the FINAL TOTAL. 

In addition 4 houses have been destroyed in Barangay Roxas on Dinagat Island.

20 houses have been damaged in Barangay Roxas, 4 houses damaged in Barangay Imee and 10 houses damaged in Barangay Cuarinta – all on Dinagat Island.

In Surigao City, Gasiano Mall and the Prov. Gymnasium have minor cracks.

The Barangay Roxas has a partially damaged multi-purpose wharf. These damages occurred in Basilisa. Minor cracks have also occurred in other locations.

The damage in San Jose (Roxas and Imee) are equivalent to P2.5 million (60,000 USD).

The total damage is expected to be around P5 million from this quake (120,000 USD).

Update :- 45 people have been injured as a result of this earthquake, with 5 people hospitalised.

The 40 outpatients mostly had abrasions, dislocations and various other minor injuries. The 5 people hospitalised had abdominal trauma etc.

 

Update 12:00 UTC:- An additional 20 people were injured when a stampede occured due to panic at a local shopping center. People were crushed or were injured by glass doors smashing. Most people have returned home, however 2 people are still in hospital under observation.

The 3 people injured – reported before – were a teacher and two students  who only suffered minor injuries when they were hit by a cable that broke in a public gymnasium. Damage is still being quantified by local government and the NDRRMC.

Update 09:12 UTC:- 3 people have been reported injured from the earthquake. The earthquake has been upgraded to CATDAT Orange.

Minor cracks have been observed at the Gasiano Mall and Provincial Gymnasium – both in Surigao City.

Update 08:53 UTC:- The following intensities have been reported from various Philippines regions:-

Intensity VI – Surigao City
Intensity V – General Luna, Surigao del Norte; Basilisa, Dinagat; San Ricardo, Southern Leyte
Intensity IV – Carrascal, Surigao del Sur; Tandag City
Intensity III – Tolosa and Tacloban Leyte; Davao City; Bislig City; Borongan, Oras, Sulat, Dolores, Eastern Samar; Cateel, Taragona, Davao Oriental;
Cagayan de Oro City; Cagwait, Surigao del Sur; Catbalogan, Samar; Maasin & Hinunangan, Southern Leyte;
Intensity II – Cebu City; Butuan City; San Agustin, Surigao del Sur
Intensity I – Hibok-Hibok, Camiguin

Update 08:20 UTC:- Thankyou for the many felt reports from all the readers. Many reports of shaking for 20 to 30 seconds have occurred. This could be bad news for the Dinagat Islands and Surigao City.
Update 08:05 UTC:- PHIVOLCS has upgraded the magnitude to M5.9 with a depth of 16km. Damage is now expected by PHIVOLCS, and the NDRRMC will be giving a report.
At least 10 damaging earthquakes have occurred within 100km of the present epicenter with magnitudes between Mw5.0 and Mw6.0. An earthquake in 1907 caused damage quite close to this epicenter as well as 1990 with deaths, according to the CATDAT Damaging Earthquakes Database.

Background:-

138000 people live in the city of Surigao.

PHIVOLCS has said that they are not expecting damage however the following felt intensities have occurred.

Intensity V (PEIS)  – General Luna, Surigao del Norte – strong shaking.
Intensity IV – Carrascal, Surigao del Sur
Intensity III – Tolosa and Tacloban Leyte

PAGER is expecting intensities of VI.

A report from Madrid on the Surigao peninsula is of intensity VII (however this is only one value). Surigao has 2 reported intensities of V.

Considering the Masbate City earthquake of M5.2 and 23km depth the other week with a lower ground motion which caused 10 injuries and some housing damage, it is expected that this earthquake will also cause damage.

The nearest populated places are: Buenavista (15km), Cadgianao (11km), Matas (7km), Layagoang (12km), Melgar (12km), Puerto Princesa (18km), Lipata (19km), Valencia (19km). The closest civilian airport is Surigao (29km) according to GDACS, and they have released an orange alert.

Aerial View of Surigao (Wiki Commons)

 

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“I Have Felt It” reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
See below for all the received Earthquake Experience reports as received by earthquake-report.com

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw5.9 (USGS), Mw5.7 (PHIVOLCS)
UTC Time : Friday, March 16, 2012 at 07:58:06 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Friday, March 16, 2012 at 03:58:06 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 44km (USGS), 16km (PHIVOLCS)
Geo-location(s) :

  • 27 km (17 miles) NNE (28°) from Surigao, Mindanao, Philippines
  • 116 km (72 miles) S (187°) from Guiuan, Samar, Philippines
  • 118 km (74 miles) N (4°) from Butuan, Mindanao, Philippines
  • 719 km (447 miles) SE (135°) from MANILA, Philippines

 

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Focal mechanism report
Human impact map
GDACS earthquake report
GDACS tsunami report
NOAA tsunami report

I Have Felt this earthquake

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFORMATION
USGS Mindanao, Philippines Mar 16 07:58 AM 5.7 35 MAP I Felt It
  • Cabadbaran - It lasted for what seemed like several minutes. The curtains, everything was shaking back and forth.
  • Bagasbas - I was lying down and about 4pm I began to get dizzy watching the house move back and forth. I was on a missionary trip.
    		•
    GEOFON Leyte, Philippines Mar 16 07:58 AM 5.8 23 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Mindanao, Philippines Mar 16 07:58 AM 5.8 23 MAP I Felt It
  • Cebu City - At around 4 pm here in Cebu City. We were waiting for our classes when we felt the earthquake. But we decided to just stay inside our office.
  • Tacloban City Leyte Ph - 20 seconds or so shaking 4.05pm 03-16-2012
  • Albuera , Leyte,Philippines - 3.56 PM 3/16/2012
  • Philippines - scary moderate shaking indicated
  • Tacloban - 20 seconds or so shaking 4.05pm
  • Tacloban City Leyte Ph - 4.10 pm shaking mod 25 - 30 seconds
  • Bayugan City - 4pm - moderate shaking indicated
  • Cantilan, Suriga del Sur - Shaking for 20 to 30 seconds.. scary
  • Cebu City - Very weak shaking indicated
  • Cebu City - So weak shaking, but i felt it
  • cantilan, surigao del sur - felt the shaking for lyk 30s?
  • Cebu - Very weak shaking indicated
  • Cloud9; Siargao Island - In the first floor of my house, quite a lot shaking during 30sec. Not so scary, but enough strong to fell like seasick after this...
  • Philippines - grabe!ang lakas ng lindol kaninakanina lang......intensity 5.9.my children have their own question.one asked if it just a strong wind,the other one asked if its judgment day already.......
  • Cebu City - i was playing on our computer then i felt something shaking on my chair.
  • Cebu City - Was playing games in FB and wandering why the desktop is shaking and my chair too..geez..Isn't done yet?..
  • Cebu City - Light shaking indicated
  • Philippines - So far wala akong naramdam na lindol (Cebu)
  • Surigao City - So scared when the earthquake shaking
  • Philippines - Yes we did feel the earthquake
  • Cebu - nervous - light shaking indicated
  • San Isidro,, Gigaquit, Surigao - I AM ON MY FB THAT TIME, NO ONE WAS ON MY CAFE DURING EARTHQUAKE... I WAS ALONE... I WAS SO TERRIFIED AND MY COMPUTER UNITS WAS SHAKING.. I AM AT SECOND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING...I TRIED TO HIDE INSIDE THE TABLE BUT I MY CHEST SUDDENLY ACHED... I RAN TO THE WINDOW, AND BREATH DEEPLY THERE WHILE WATCHING PEOPLE OUTSIDE, SHAKING TOO...AND ALL SAID... GINOO KO, TABANG!(OH MY GOD, HELP!)
  • Philippines - it was really scary,gave me goosebumps...= ( i can still remember the feb.6 earthquake...we were in our office in the fifth floor again...we left ASAP after it stopped...we're afraid there might be aftershocks...
    		•

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    SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

    Enter Email (not compulsory)
    City/Village where you felt the earthquake
    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
    Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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