On July 6, 2017, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

, causing at least 4 deaths and 100 injuries. The quake also caused power interruptions in the whole of

Eastern Visayas Eastern Visayas ( war, Sinirangan Kabisay-an; ceb, Sidlakang Kabisay-an; tl, Silangang Kabisayaan or ''Silangang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, ...

and nearby

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. ...

. The Philippine archipelago is located in the

Pacific Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring ...

, where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.

Earthquake

The 6.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to have occurred at 4:03:53 p.m. (16:03:53 UTC+8) and determined it to be of tectonic origin. PHIVOLCS recorded the depth of focus at and its epicenter south of Jaro. The

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGC) recorded the depth of focus for the earthquake at , deeper than what is recorded by PHIVOLCS. The tremor was caused by the movement of the Leyte Segment of the

Philippine Fault The Philippine Fault System is a major inter-related system of geological faults throughout the whole of the Philippine Archipelago, primarily caused by tectonic forces compressing the Philippines into what geophysicists call the Philippine Mob ...

. A ground rupture was recorded in Barangay Tongonan in

Ormoc Ormoc (IPA: �oɾˈmok, officially the City of Ormoc ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Ormoc; war, Syudad han Ormoc; fil, Lungsod ng Ormoc), is a 1st class independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 ce ...

which was described by the Department of Science and Technology as the epicenter area of the quake. As of July 9, PHIVOLCS was still assessing the extent of the rupture which could span across the area. No tsunami warning was raised by the

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) is one of two tsunami warning centers that are operated by NOAA in the United States. Headquartered on Ford Island, HI, the PTWC is part of an international tsunami warning system (TWS) program and s ...

Damage

The

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

Leyte Fourth Engineering District announced on July 10, 2017 that they estimate that at least of damage was caused by the earthquake. The local agency said that the city of

, and nearby town Kananga sustained the heaviest damage. The earthquake caused a building in

Kananga Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province. It is the fourth most populous urban a ...

to collapse, killing one person. Another person died in the town when a house collapsed in Ormoc. Another person was killed in a landslide in Ormoc while another body was found in the same city. Authorities temporarily closed Ormoc Airport after its runway was damaged. Ten schools located in the towns of Kananga, Jaro, Barugo, and San Isidro were destroyed by the earthquake while ten more schools located in Inopacan, Albuera, Mérida, Barugo, and San Miguel were partially damaged. Leyte, Samar and Bohol experienced power blackouts while power supplies in Panay, Cebu, and Negros were also reportedly affected.

Aftermath

PHIVOLCS recorded 796 aftershocks as of July 11, 2017.

and

declared a state of calamity. Residents in barangays Lake Danao and Tongonan in Ormoc were ordered to evacuate due to those localities being situated directly on the path of the Philippine Fault line. On August 23, 2017, an aftershock of magnitude 5.1 occurred. This aftershock damaged 56 structures in

. Two people died, one after suffering a head injury after falling and another from a heart attack.

References

External links

* {{Earthquakes in the Philippines 2017 disasters in the Philippines Earthquakes in the Philippines History of Leyte (province) July 2017 events in the Philippines

Earthquake

Damage

Aftermath

See also

References

External links