Earthquake swarms jolt Sultan Kudarat; hundreds evacuate

January 29 ------ Hundreds of families fled their homes Wednesday as a series of offshore earthquakes, including two magnitude 5.7 tremors, rattled Sultan Kudarat province, prompting local officials to suspend classes and government work.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the seismic activity is part of an ongoing earthquake swarm offshore of Kalamansig. While the shaking was frequent, state seismologists said no immediate damage was expected from the latest logs. Meantime, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) oversaw the preemptive evacuation of approximately 350 families from coastal and high-risk areas in Lebak. Displaced residents were moved to designated temporary shelters in the villages of Pasandalan and Poloy-Poloy.

Coast Guard personnel prioritized assistance for children, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities during the operation. In a statement, the Coast Guard Station Sultan Kudarat said that monitoring, relief operations and safety assessments are ongoing to ensure the welfare of all affected victims.

The region was shaken throughout the day by tectonic tremors at shallow depths. The first major quake, a magnitude 5.7, struck at 1:05 a.m. at a depth of 19 kilometers. Activity spiked again in the afternoon when a magnitude 5.1 tremor at 2:31 p.m. was followed just minutes later by another magnitude 5.7 quake at 2:47 p.m. These afternoon tremors registered at Intensity V in Lebak and Intensity IV in Palimbang, both occurring at a depth of 10 kilometers.

In response to the continued activity, the provincial government suspended all classes in public and private schools, as well as work in government offices, for the towns of Kalamansig, Lebak and Palimbang. The suspension remains in effect until further notice, though exemptions apply to personnel involved in disaster response, emergency health services and other essential operations.

Source: tribune.net.ph