Philipine Quake
May 19, 2004

6.0 Tremor Rocks Philippines

An earthquake hit parts of Cebu and Bohol provinces at around 6 AM [May 20] yesterday. There were no reported injuries but the tremor had caused slight damage to a couple of buildings in Tubigon town in Bohol, where it registered the highest magnitude at intensity 6. A similar magnitude was also registered in Cebu City but there were no reports of damage or injuries. Angelito Lanuza, an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the epicenter of the quake, registering a magnitude of 5.2, was situated at 10.01 degrees north, 123.99 degrees east, and 34 kilometers south of Cebu City or near Clarin town in Bohol. The quake was also felt noticeably in Loboc town, Bohol at intensity 5, Corrella town in Bohol at intensity 4, Tagbilaran City, Lapulapu City, and Argao town in Cebu at intensity 3. Meanwhile, wire reports also revealed that later in the day yesterday [May 19], a moderate quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 struck the southern Japanese islands. Its epicenter was about 50 km underground in the Pacific Ocean, at about 1300 km southwest of Tokyo and 200 km southwest of Okinawa