Philippines quake kills four in Cebu

"An earthquake measuring 7.2 magnitude has hit the central Philippines, killing at least 20 people, reports say.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck underneath the island of Bohol, in a region popular with tourists.

People were killed as buildings and markets collapsed in Bohol and nearby Cebu province. Several buildings and churches were damaged by the quake.

The quake struck at 08:12 (00:12GMT) on a national holiday in the country.

Officials say that most of those killed were in Cebu, considered the second major city in the country."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24530042

CEBU CITY, Philippines —" A tectonic 7.2 magnitude quake was recorded near Bohol Tuesday morning with aftershocks expected, authorities said. Initial reports said that four people had died. The quake was recorded from two to five kilometers southeast of Carmen town at 8:12 a.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the United States Geological Service reported.

Phivolcs said the earthquake had a depth of 33 kilometers. The tremor lasted for a minute and triggered a blackout. Several aftershocks were felt. According to initial reports, some houses and buildings were damaged.

The earthquake was felt in parts of Visayas and Mindanao:
Intensity VI – Hinigaran, Negros Occidental
Intensity V- Iloilo, City
Intensity IV – Masbate City
Intensity III – Davao City
Damages were also expected from the quake, Phivolcs said."


Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/507063/7-2-quake-hits-bohol-phivolcs#ixzz2hksIyaA6

Hope all I know are ok.

Al.

OMG! Visayan region is my favourite place to go. hils:
I hate earthquake, thunderstorm, floods and tornado. ray:
At least in UK, weather may be unpredictable but there's no serious calamity apart from snow! :freezing:
And in Middle East occasionally they have sandstorm!

Yes. My wife was giving the baby a feed and checked her Facebook as she does. And she saw it there. She has a lot of family in Negros Oriental and the Visayas.

Chocolate Hills viewing deck destroyed by earthquake....

"At least 20 people were reported killed when the earthquake destroyed buildings in and around one of the Philippines' major tourist hubs. Carmen was the epicenter of the quake."

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/photo/46590/chocolate-hills-viewing-deck-destroyed-by-earthquake

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/10/15/1245567/bohol-quake-equal-32-atomic-bombs-phivolcs

"More than 100 aftershocks have been monitored by Phivolcs three hours after the Bohol quake."

It has been described as a "tectonic earthquake"

Tectonic Earthquake

"The elastic rebound theory is an explanation for how energy is spread during earthquakes. As rocks on opposite sides of a fault are subjected to force and shift, they accumulate energy and slowly deform until their internal strength is exceeded. At that time, a sudden movement occurs along the fault, releasing the accumulated energy, and the rocks snap back to their original undeformed shape."

The above is courtesy of Wikipedia

I hate bad news in general! Calamity, war, crimes etc. ray: It makes me cry!

Just seeing the photos from friends on FB now, devastating!

Hmm....strange. I thought today was a holiday Dom - so there shouldn't have been any children in the school - unless they had to go for some other reason.

Al.

My wifes nephew ( 6 yo ) is going in for a maths review, today - private school though.

I stand corrected.

Al.

One has to ask why were there any children at that school. Today is a public holiday and all schools throughout the country are closed - as are all the Malls, on Cebu for sure.

As far as I am aware, private schools are also closed today. Mae's nephew attends such a school in Davao and he's had (yet another) day off school.

I suppose it might depend on the private school and where. But our nephew is on my wife's Facebook today with a jaunty hairstyle, getting ready to go.

Do all private schools in the Philippines keep the same calendar? I know they don't here in the UK.