People ran out of offices and malls as a magnitude 6.9 earthquake at its epicenter in Tayasan, Negros Oriental, shook Bacolod City and other parts of Negros Occidental at 11:49 a.m. yesterday, leaving cracks in buildings and bridges in its wake.

Fears of a tsunami after the quake also caused residents of San Carlos City to panic but, as of yesterday afternoon, the situation was back to normal, Mayor Gerardo Valmayor Jr. said.

Negros Oriental was the worst-hit with 43 people feared dead (story on Negros Oriental page).

The 11:49 a.m. earthquake, that was tectonic in origin, was felt at intensity 5 in Bacolod City, at intensity six in the La Carlota and La Castellana areas, and at intensity 4 in Sagay City in Negros Occidental, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.

It was followed by several aftershocks, the largest of which was at 6:10 p.m. that was 6.2 magnitude followed by a 4.8 magnitude tremor at 7:33 p.m. with epicenters in Tayasan, the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division reported.

BUILDING CRACKS

Joe Marie Vargas, Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management officer, said the main Gaisano store in downtown Bacolod shut down after cracks were noted in its third and fourth floors.

People at the Bacolod Government Center left the building, while at the malls in the city, people rushed out in fear, he said.

It is a good thing no one was hurt in the stampede, Vargas said, adding that other business establishments also shut down for the day.

People gathered on the streets after fleeing from shaking buildings.

Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said he was thankful the damage to Negros Occidental was minimal, and was saddened by the extent of the damage in Negros Oriental.

He said work at the Capitol was not suspended and provincial government employees were on alert for disaster response.

At the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod employees and visitors also ran out.

Marsha Tongson, appointment’s secretary of Marañon, said at first she hid under a desk but when the shaking continued she ran out of the building in fear that the concrete building would collapse and she could not get out.

Vicfran Defante, head of the PDMPD, said cracks were reported in the city halls of Cadiz and Sagay, on the glass walls of the Unitop building in San Carlos City, at the Talubangi Bridge in Ilog, and on the right side of the lobby of the Gaisano building in Kabankalan City.

In Himamaylan City, work was suspended at the city hall and cracks were reported on the walls and floors of the new building of the city’s hospital, and at the Barangay 1 and Talaban bridges, at the Himamaylan gym, two classrooms at the Western VIsayas State University, a classroom at the San Agustin Elementary School, and at a classroom at the Tooy Elementary School, Defante said.

Cracks were noted on some walls and floors of the Capitol building and the Provincial Administration Center in Bacolod, Defante added.

TSUNAMI ALERT

PHIVOLCS initially declared a tsunami alert level two in Negros and Cebu, with the public warned of minor sea level changes and to remain watchful.

But as at 2:30 p.m. PHIVOLCS lifted the tsunami alert over Negros Occidental, Defante said.

Mayor Valmayor of San Carlos City said residents panicked yesterday and left their homes when water receded in the sea and people were panic-buying at gasoline stations.

But the situation was back to normal as of yesterday afternoon, he said.

Lt. Commander Dominador Senador, PhilippineCoast Guard Bacolodchief, said all sea travel was cancelled in Western Visayas at 1 p.m. as a precaution against a possible tsunami but resumed at 4 p.m.

PHILVOCS said the quakes yesterday occurred at a new fault line, and numerous aftershocks are expected in the coming days.

VARIED INTENSITIES

The 11:49 a.m. earthquake was felt at intensity 7 in Dumaguete City; Intensity 5 in Roxas City, Dao and Ivisan in Capiz, and Iloilo City; and Intensity 4 in San Jose de Buenavista and Pandan in Antique, Ayungon in Negros Oriental, Kalibo in Aklan and in Dipolog City.

It was at Intensity 3 in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Legaspi City in Albay, Carmen in Cagayan de Oro, and at Intensity 2 in Cabid-an, Sorsogon, PHIVOLCS reported.*CPG

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