The 2019 Batanes earthquake was a magnitude 6.0 earthquake which struck

Batanes Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes ( ivv, Provinsiya nu Batanes; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; fil, Lalawigan ng Batanes, ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It i ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on July 27, 2019. It was preceded by a 5.4 magnitude

foreshock A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequ ...

. Nine people were killed by the combined effects of the earthquakes.

Earthquake

The main shock of the 2019 Batanes earthquake was the 6.0 magnitude earthquake which had a depth of focus of . The

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS, ; tl, Surian ng Pilipinas sa Bulkanolohiya at Sismolohiya) is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and ...

(PHILVOLCS) earlier recorded the

tectonic earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

as a magnitude 6.4 but later revised their records. The earthquake occurred at 7:38 a.m. (UTC+8) on July 27, 2019 near

Itbayat Itbayat, officially the Municipality of Itbayat, ( ivv, Kavahayan nu Itbayat; tl, Bayan ng Itbayat), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 3,128 people. Itbay ...

. A noted

of the earthquake was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake which struck the same town at 4:16 a.m. (UTC+8). It had a depth of focus of One of the stronger aftershocks was a magnitude 5.8 earthquake which occurred at 9:24 a.m. (UTC+8).

Intensity

According to the

PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale The PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) is a seismic scale used and developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It was developed as upon a specific response to the ...

, the earthquake was most felt in the town of

at Intensity VII while the other towns of the same province reported a lesser intensity; Basco at Intensity V,

Sabtang Sabtang, officially the Municipality of Sabtang ( ivv, Kavahayan nu Sabtang; tl, Bayan ng Sabtang), is a 6th class municipality in the province of Batanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,696 people. The south ...

and Ivana at Intensity IV. According to 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, ...

, the earthquake had a maximum intensity of VI or has caused "Strong" shaking according to the

Modified Mercalli intensity scale The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the effe ...

. No tsunami warning was raised following the main earthquake.

Casualties and damages

At least 9 people were killed and 60 injured due to the earthquakes. The historic, Santa Maria de Mayan Church in Itbayat, built in 1888, sustained heavy damage from the earthquake with its bell tower falling off. Several stone houses, two schools, and two health centers were also damaged. According to the

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), is a working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sector organizations o ...

(NDRRMC), 911 families or 2,963 individuals were affected by the Batanes earthquakes. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on their part made an estimate that the damage caused by the earthquake costed at least .

Response

Then-president

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

made a visit to Batanes on July 28, 2019 to personally check the situation in the province. He also made a pledge for the government to release for the construction of a new clinic with Duterte citing the uncertainty regarding the integrity of the still functional Itbayat District Hospital which sustained minimal cracks. Then-vice president

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse Ro ...

also visited the island province. The NDRRMC also provided tents and other relief goods to people displaced due to earthquake via

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally des ...

. Other provinces and private organizations also provided aid to Batanes. The agency also shipped construction materials for new houses meant for the victims of the earthquake. By August 1, 2019, the whole province of Batanes has been placed under a

state of calamity A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

. China through its embassy in Manila donated as aid following the earthquake.

References

External links