Visayas airports cleared after magnitude 6.9 Cebu quake

• Photo from Pixabay

By TechWatch PH Staff

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that airports across the Visayas have resumed safe operations following immediate inspections prompted by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu late Tuesday night.

At Mactan, Cebu International Airport, passengers were temporarily evacuated from the terminal at 10:40 p.m. as a precautionary measure.

CAAP said tower personnel were safe, the tower structure and cab equipment were intact, and runway checks revealed no damage. By midnight of October 1, the Passenger Terminal Building was cleared for re-entry after inspection and assessment.

Normal operations continued, although commercial power remained out as of early Wednesday.

In Bacolod Airport, tremors lasting one minute and 30 seconds were felt at the control tower, with sensors at the Operations Building recording a maximum magnitude of 6.8.

While runway inspections were underway, flights from Manila operated by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific were briefly put on hold before being cleared to land safely.

Tacloban Airport reported a 3.7 magnitude reading from its accelerograph. Following inspections, no structural damage was found, according to the CSIS duty officer.

In Calbayog Airport, the FSS Tower recorded a 2.2 magnitude tremor, while Ormoc Airport’s accelerograph registered 4.7. Both were cleared after inspections confirmed no damage.

Maasin and Hilongos airports were also inspected and found to be safe, with no damage reported.

Authorities said they are still awaiting the issuance of the other Initial Preliminary Hazard and Damage Reports (IPHADR) for the airports affected by the earthquake.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Cebu province and parts of the Visayas Region on Tuesday night, causing widespread panic among residents and damaging infrastructure, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The tremor, which was tectonic in origin, struck at around 9:59 p.m. some 17 kilometers northeast of the City of Bogo at a depth of 10 kilometers. As of 4:00 a.m. on October 1, Phivolcs recorded 379 aftershocks, with 100 plotted and three felt, ranging in magnitude from 1.4 to 4.8. Monitoring was conducted through the MECP reference station in Medellin, Cebu.