Quake shakes Negros Occidental

MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the waters off Negros Occidental yesterday morning, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Phivolcs said the quake occurred at 8:32 a.m. and its epicenter was located 46 kilometers west of Sipalay City.

The temblor was felt in some parts of Negros Island as well as in Panay, Guimaras and Cebu.

The quake was felt at Intensity 4 in Candoni, Cauayan and Sipalay; Intensity 3 in Bago, La Castellana, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, Pulupandan, Pontevedra and Valladolid in Negros Occidental; Bayawan in Negros Oriental and Iloilo City.

State seismologists said the quake generated nine aftershocks that ranged from magnitudes 2.3 to 4.2 as of 3:54 p.m. yesterday.