Powerful Earthquake Strikes Southern Philippine Island and Kills at Least 2

A 6.6R and later a 5.8R earthquakes have been reported this morning in Philippines, 65km from Davao City, 11km West of Dolo. It was felt in Davao.  Below we show the Philippines calendar for stresses which shows that we were expecting stronger events tomorrow, so this we consider it earlier by a day.

Below we see the stress in this region as produced by our softwar. It is close to the epicenter.

The magnitude-6.6 earthquake sent people fleeing in panic from their homes and caused significant structural damage to buildings. A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Tuesday, sending people fleeing from their homes in panic, causing structural damage to buildings and killing at least two people.

The quake struck about 60 miles southwest of Davao City, the capital of Mindanao and was centered in Tulunan in Cotabato Province, according to the United States Geological Survey and Philippine officials. Davao has 1.6 million people. 

The strong temblor sent panicked residents fleeing from their homes in the city of Iligan, in northern Mindanao, according to a local radio station, Brigada News FM. Cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling of a hospital in the southern city of Kidapawan as doctors and nurses carried out an evacuation, the station reported.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio of Davao ordered the cancellation of all classes in public and private schools, saying the quake “may have caused structural and electrical damage to buildings and houses” in the city. Ms. Duterte-Carpio is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president.

The quake killed a 67-year-old construction worker who was helping rebuild an evangelical church and a 15-year-old student who was hit by debris at a school near the quake’s epicenter. In addition to those deaths, several students at an elementary school in Tulunan were hospitalized for minor injuries from falling debris.

The earthquake was the second powerful quake to strike Mindanao in two weeks. A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the island on Oct. 16, killing at least five people.

“The location is almost the same as the one on Oct. 16,” said Erlinton Olavere, a research specialist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. “There is an existing fault” in the area, he said, adding that “the movements are still ongoing.”

A spokesman for President Duterte urged people on Mindanao not to panic.

“We ask our citizens to remain calm but vigilant and we urge them to refrain from spreading disinformation that may cause undue alarm, panic and stress to many people,” said Salvador Panelo, the spokesman.

Photos from the area showed some significant structural damage.

Because of its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by the movement of tectonic plates.

In October 2013, nearly 100 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck the central island of Bohol.

Davao City is the power base of President Duterte, who was mayor there for the better part of two decades. His crackdown on crime there became the model for his aggressive antidrug drive after he became the president of the Philippines in 2016.

Magnitude	Mw 6.6
Region	MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
Date time	2019-10-29 01:04:44.9 UTC
Location	6.83 N ; 125.12 E
Depth	20 km
Distances	61 km SW of Davao, Philippines / pop: 1,213,000 / local time: 09:04:44.9 2019-10-29 8 km W of Dolo, Philippines / pop: 4,000 / local time: 09:04:44.9 2019-10-29

Magnitude	Mw 5.8
Region	MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
Date time	2019-10-29 02:42:42.1 UTC
Location	6.78 N ; 125.10 E
Depth	40 km
Distances	65 km SW of Davao, Philippines / pop: 1,213,000 / local time: 10:42:42.1 2019-10-29 11 km W of Dolo, Philippines / pop: 4,000 / local time: 10:42:42.1 2019-10-29