Mild quakes hit Catanduanes, Masbate anew

LEGAZPI CITY , Philippines — Eight more mild quakes rocked Catanduanes and Masbate in the past four days, almost three weeks since a magnitude-6 earthquake hit the island-province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday.

The recent quakes with magnitudes 2 to 2.9 were detected in Baras and Pandan towns in Catanduanes, and in Batuan, Esperanza and Claveria in Masbate.

While the quakes detected in Catanduanes might  be aftershocks from the May 5 temblor, those in Masbate were caused by the movement of the local faults across Bicol, Phivolcs said.

Over 40 aftershocks have hit Catanduanes since a magnitude-6 quake jolted parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

Jun Bonita, Phivolcs’ research analyst, said earlier that a magnitude-6 earthquake could generate aftershocks up to two weeks.

Bonita said earthquakes are hitting Catanduanes as it is located near the Philippine Trench and Bicol has several local faults.

These trenches and faults are triggering earthquakes of different magnitudes, she said.