At least four residential houses were partially damaged when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro early Sunday morning, October 3, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) disclosed.
A report released by the NDRRMC around 5 p.m. said the brick walls of the affected residential houses in Barangay San Agustin collapsed when the mildly strong tremblor struck at 9:49 a.m.
Marvin Mendoza, Sablayan MDRRMO officer, had a slightly higher estimate on the extent of the damage of the quake.
"We received reports in our office that at least five houses partially collapsed in Zone, 5 Barangay San Agustin," he said in Filipino.
There was no immediate report of casualty as of this writing.
However, fifteen individuals were affected by the earthquake and collapsed structures, initial information from the NDRRMC noted.
"Affected families are currently staying at their respective homes," the NDRRMC said.
Mendoza advised residents in affected areas to be vigilant as 41 aftershocks were recorded as of 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Sablayan MDRRMO recorded 35 successive aftershocks immediately after the quake. Six more aftershocks were listed as of 2:02 p.m.
Mendoza encouraged the residents to prepare emergency or "go" bag which contains easy to consume food, water, and other essentials like clothes, medicine, and identification cards.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was tectonic in origin and had a depth of focus of 10 km. The epicenter was traced 10 kilometers west of Sablayan.
Last Sept. 28, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake also hit Looc town in Occidental Mindoro, damaging the walls of a condemned building and a residential house.