Strong M6.0 Earthquake struck on Monday Afternoon near Tacloban in The Philippines.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 4th, 2026. Last updated June 15th, 2026.

In the afternoon of Monday May 4th, 2026, a strong M6.0 earthquake hit under land 66 kilometer from Tacloban in The Philippines. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 14 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The Philippines, 66 kilometer (41 mi) north-east of Tacloban in Eastern Visayas. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 43 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 4, 2026 02:09PM (Manila Time) - May 4, 2026 06:09 Universal Time.
Location:	66 km NE of Tacloban, Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 11°44'32"N 125°20'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 36 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 .
Depth:	43 km (27 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (8 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person injured, and at least 1 building damaged at Dolores. At least 1 home damaged at Catbalogan and at Jiabong; 1 home destroyed and 75 damaged, at least 22 buildings damaged and power outages reported at San Julian; 3 homes destroyed and 11 damaged at Taft. Some buildings damaged in the Catbalogan-Dolores-Jiabong-Oras area. Water services disrupted at Maydolong.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 14 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 14 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 265,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 10 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Borongan in Eastern Visayas, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 18 kilometer (11 mi) northwest of Borongan. Borongan experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VI. That level implies strong shaking and probably light damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tacloban is located 66 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Cebu City is located 224 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Panalanoy is located 66 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 53 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 53 people have reported shaking in 27 places, all within Philippines.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• San Antonio (Basey, Samar), Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 5 people.
• Sabang, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 5 people.
• Babatingon, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 5 people.
• Balaquid, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 4 people.
• Pawing, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 4 people.
• Palo, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 3 people.
• Tutubigan, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 3 people.
• Naghalin, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 2 people.
• Mandawa, Central Visayas, Philippines: 2 people.
• Baybay, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 2 people.

3 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 6 km (4 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3.2

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 16th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 233 km (145 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on September 30th, 2025.

In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every year.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 15/06/26 03:18 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000si2z
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260504_0000078
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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