Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off Davao Oriental, at least 2 dead

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake, caused by the Philippine Trench, struck off Manay, Davao Oriental on Friday morning.

PHIVOLCS chief Dr. Teresito Bacolcol clarified that this earthquake is not connected to recent tremors in Cebu and La Union, as they originate from independent fault systems.

He explained that while the country has many active fault segments and trenches, the possibility of multiple seismic events occurring simultaneously is not uncommon.

The Philippine Trench, one of the country's six most active trenches, has historically generated significant earthquakes, with all Mindanao earthquakes above magnitude 7.0 originating from it.

A 1992 earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 was recorded in the same area as Friday's event.

Although Friday's earthquake had a high magnitude, its epicenter was located at sea, far from populated areas, making it less destructive than the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on September 30.

At least two people have been reportedly killed due to the Davao Oriental earthquake.