4.8 quake hits typhoon-ravaged Philippines

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake has hit the Philippines island of Bohol just days after a powerful typhoon left thousands dead in the Pacific nation.

The quake’s epicenter was in the San Isidro municipality of the island province, according to a USGS report.

It is located some 45km from Tagbilaran, the provincial capital that has almost 100,000 residents.

The tremor hit at the depth of about 70km, according to early USGS estimates.

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology put the depth of the quake much less deep, at just 9km.

It said it was an aftershock of the 7.2 magnitude quake that hit the island on October 15.

No immediate casualty or damage report is available. The authorities did not issue a tsunami alert following the quake.

Last month’s quake killed 22 people and displaced tens of thousands. It also caused damage to more than 73,000 structures.

Bohol Island is located just south of the path of devastation left behind by the powerful Typhoon Haiyan,  known locally as Typhoon Yolanda.

The typhoon, which was the strongest to hit the country in decades, left an estimated 10,000 people killed and leveled thousands of homes. Philippines declared a state of national calamity as search and rescue operations continue.