Philippine: Earthquake-stricken city Surigao experiences aftershock of 5.9-magnitude

The government seismology office says the epicentre was in the same area located outside Surigao City.

Two earthquakes hit Indonesian province of Aceh, causes injuries and damage
Representational Image Reuters

At least one person was killed and several others were injured on Sunday after a powerful aftershock struck off the southern city of Surigao on Mindanao island in Philippines, which is still recovering from a strong earthquake last month.

The government seismologists and civil defence officers said a 5.9-magnitude quake hit the city along with its surrounding areas, causing some walls to collapse.

READ: WATCH: Mysterious "white-hairy" sea monster washes up on Philippines beach

According to the local television reports, one woman died of a heart attack while at least 29 people were injured due to the earthquake. The experts said the quake was one of over a hundred aftershocks since the 6.5-magnitude quake on 10 February that left eight dead and over 250 injured, mainly due to falling objects.

The government seismology office said the epicentre was in the same area located outside Surigao City. The area was same as the epicentre of last month's tremor.

The Philippines sits on the highly seismically active zone "Pacific Ring of Fire" where many continental plates on the earth's crust keep colliding. Hence, it experiences frequent earthquakes.

The last lethal earthquake to hit the country before the February 10 quake was a 7.1-magnitude tremor that left over 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches when it struck the central islands in October 2013.

READ MORE