CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Central Visayas Wednesday admitted that search and rescue operations in areas affected by last Monday's earthquake are hampered by the strong aftershocks that continue to hit the islands of Negros and Cebu.

OCD 7 Director Minda Morante said the aftershocks, with the strongest recorded at 5.4 magnitude at past 8 a.m. Wednesday, continue to create cracks on major roads and rescuers are anxious about land movements that could cause landslides.

Morante said while rescuers are already in Negros to launch the search, rescue, and retrieval operations in affected areas, they have to consider their safety first and account for each member of the response team.

“We don't want a dead hero, ” said Morante even as he stressed that the rescue personnel are badly needed in affected areas in Negros.

She said rescue operations during earthquakes are totally different from operations during typhoons and floods because no one knows when an aftershock will again occur, putting the lives of rescuers at risk.

In Cebu, the 5.2 magnitude quake, one of the strongest of the aftershocks since last Monday, has once again created concern among the people here.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Region 7 however is asking the public not to panic even as more aftershocks are expected following the 6.9 magnitude quake that rocked Cebu and Negros on Monday that has so far killed 26 persons.

Based on the earthquake monitoring of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit the Negros-Cebu region at 8:41 a.m. on Wednesday.