Tacloban City (June 15) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of five rocked the sleeping people of the island of Leyte at 11:45 in the evening of June 14, reports coming from the Office of Civil Defense Regional Office 8 stated.

OCD 8 Director Salvador Estudillo informed that the location of the tremor was at 41 kilometers northeast of Maasin City, Southern Leyte, with a depth of 15 kilometers.

Initial reports stated that the earthquake was felt at intensity VI at St. Bernard, Southern Leyte while in Surigao, it was felt at intensity IV. In Palo, Leyte, it was felt at intensity III while it was intensity II in Tacloban City.

The origin of the earthquake was not mentioned in the initial report and attempts to reach authorities in St. Bernard yielded negative results.

An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground and sometimes cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property. An earthquake is caused by tectonic plates getting stuck and putting a strain on the ground. The strain becomes so great that rocks give way by breaking and sliding along fault planes.

Earthquakes may occur naturally or as a result of human activities. Smaller earthquakes can also be caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event-whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans-that generates seismic waves.