Southern Leyte earthquake triggers 68 aftershocks
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes waters off the shores of San Francisco in Southern Leyte on Thursday morning, January 23, 2025, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). (Photo from Official Facebook page of Phivolcs-DOST)
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 68 aftershocks have been recorded following the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck off Southern Leyte on Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.
As of 12 p.m., Phivolcs said 21 aftershocks had been plotted, though none were felt. The aftershocks ranged in magnitude from 1.6 to 2.9.
Phivolcs initially reported the Southern Leyte earthquake as having a magnitude of 5.9 in its 7:45 a.m. bulletin, but later revised it to magnitude 5.8 in an 8:22 a.m. update.
The earthquake struck at 7:39 a.m., with its epicenter located some six kilometers (km) east of San Francisco, Southern Leyte.
It was tectonic in origin and had a depth of focus of 14 km, Phivolcs added.
