Friday, June 16, 2006

Mild Quake Hits Zamboanga Peninsula

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 16 Jun) A mild quake jolted the Zamboanga Peninsula at dawn Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

It said the 4.9 magnitude temblor, which struck at 3.24 a.m., was traced in the town of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte province, but the quake also shook Zamboanga del Sur province and Zamboanga City. Authorities said there were no reports of injuries or damage.

"I was roused from sleep, the bed was shaking and the dogs outside the house were all barking and I know there was a quake. It was scary alright, but the shaking soon stopped," Maritess Fernandez, a mother of four, told the Zamboanga Journal.

In December, a 5.7 magnitude temblor also jolted many parts in the southern Philippines, rousing residents from their sleep. The quake was centered at sea about 140 kilometers southwest of Sultan Kudarat province, but also felt in the cities of Zamboanga, Pagadian and Cotabato.

Seismology experts said the source of the tremor was the Cotabato Trench. Hundreds of people were killed in 1976 when a tsunami, triggered by movements of plates in the Cotabato Trench, hit many towns in Mindanao.

Seismologists said the Philippines lies in the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tremors, some caused by volcanic activity, are common.

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