Child dead from Visayas earthquake; Phivolcs raises tsunami alert level 2

(UPDATED 3:26 p.m.) The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised a tsunami alert in the Visayas after a magnitude-6.9 quake hit the area before noon on Monday, killing one child.   Phivolcs seismology division officer-in-charge Ishmael Narag said Tsunami Alert Level 2 is a precautionary measure to urge people to stay 20 meters away from the shoreline.  State seismologists said the epicenter was in the sea between Negros Island and Cebu. "Precautionary measure ang Tsunami Alert Level 2, may kataasan ang lindol kanina. Sa ganitong klaseng lindol posibleng mag-generate ng kaunting alon," Narag said in an interview over radio dzBB.   The alert level is good for about two hours, he said. He explained that the waves will not likely exceed one meter in height and that there was no need for people to evacuate their homes. Aftershocks   Meanwhile, state seismologists warned Visayas and Mindanao residents on Monday of possible aftershocks from Monday's magnitude-6.9 quake.   Phivolcs head Renato Solidum Jr. said over radio dzBB, "Posibleng magka-aftershock pa 'yan."   Solidum added that the quake was felt in parts of Mindanao at Intensity III in Dipolog and Butuan cities.   Earlier, Solidum said the quake was recorded at 11:49 a.m. and was felt at:

•  Intensity V (strong): Iloilo, Negros
•  Intensity IV: Cebu, Kalibo

The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.8. and estimated the epicenter to be at:

• 71 kilometers (km) south-southeast of Bacolod
• 79 km north of Dumaguete
• 88 km west-southwest of Cebu
• 564 km south-southeast of Manila.

View Feb. 6 Visayas Earthquake in a larger map   Child dies as wall falls   Meanwhile, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) head Benito Ramos said a child was crushed when a wall fell after the earthquake in Negros Oriental.   "Ang report initial may bata nadaganan ng pader nagiba ang pader," Ramos said in an interview over radio dzBB.   In Negros Occidental, Ramos said the quake damaged the glass windows of a mall.   In Iloilo, cracks were also noted at a mall there.   In Cebu, the provincial capitol suspended work in the afternoon, the radio dzBB's affiliate said. The Cebu Department of Foreign Affairs building also had cracks, the report added. Warning for small vessels The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday barred small vessels in areas affected by a magnitude-6.9 quake that hit Visayas and Mindanao on Monday.   Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Algier Ricafrente said the ban will last until the Phivolcs gives an "all-clear" signal, meaning that vessels may already go out to sea.   “Ang small craft bawal muna maglayag, ating ili-lift yan pag nakita natin at base sa info ng Phivolcs kung kailan maaring i-lift ng temporary suspension,” Ricafrente said in an interview over radio dzBB.   As of 1:00 p.m., Ricafrente said the Coast Guard has not yet monitored any high waves. Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas has instructed Coast Guard chief Edmund Tan to prevent fishermen from going out to sea for the duration of the alert, said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda. PNP on standby Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome ordered all PNP resources and personnel in Central and Western Visayas to assist in disaster response and mitigation efforts. Local PNP units in Police Regional Office-7 were urged to coordinate with local government units and local NDRRMC agencies in sounding off the tsunami warning alert  in coastal and low-lying areas in the affected provinces. - with Nikki Marzoña, VVP, GMA News