2 Ormoc residents die in Leyte quake

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 -- At least two persons in Ormoc City died after the magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck the western part of Leyte province Wednesday morning, local authorities reported.

Ormoc City police identified the fatalities as Maria Contreras Colasito, 51, resident of Naungan village; and Rosita Baloro, 70, resident of San Jose village.

Elma Delos Santos, Ormoc police deputy director for operations, said that Colasito slipped and fell while trying to run to an open space when the earthquake hit the city around 6:26 a.m. on Wednesday.

In a mobile phone interview, she said Baloro suffered the same fate and lost consciousness. Both of them were proclaimed dead when brought to the hospital.

The local police confirmed that at least 56 houses were slightly damaged in Altavista village in Ormoc City.

The city government also suspended classes in all levels in Ormoc on Wednesday.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the earthquake with tectonic origin was five kilometers northeast of Albuera town.

Albuera is a neighboring town of Kananga and Ormoc City, the two areas badly hit by the July 6, 2017 destructive earthquake that killed three, including a young mother from Ormoc.

The tremor was also felt in Pastrana, Leyte with a recorded Intensity 4; Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte at Intensity 3; and Cebu City at Intensity 1.

Albuera town is located within the Central Leyte Fault line stretching from Villalon village in Calubian, Leyte and ends in San Francisco, Southern Leyte. The active fault line forms part of the 1,200-kilometer long Philippine Fault Zone, which extends throughout the country. (SQM/ERR/PNA)