7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Philippines, 4 Dead, Buildings Damaged: Report

MANILA: A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the island of North Luzon of North Philippines on Wednesday killing four people, damaging buildings and sending strong vibrations through the capital, Manila.
Two people were killed in Benguet Province, one in Abra Province, and another in another province, Domestic Secretary Benjamin Abalos told a press conference. Sixty people were injured, he said.

The earthquake reached around 11 km (six miles) of Southeast Dolores City at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey Data.

“Apart from the sad report of the damage caused by the earthquake, we ensure a quick response to those who need and are influenced by this disaster,” President Ferdinand Marcos JR said on Facebook.

The earthquake hit close to the political fortress of the Marcos family.

Renato Solidum, Director of the State Seismology Agency, told the DZRH radio station, a strong aftershocks were expected.

“The focus of attention is in the province of Abra and the nearest. This is a big earthquake,” Solidum said.

Abalos said 173 damaged buildings and 58 landslides were reported, with 44 out of 60 injured in Abra Province.

A hospital in Abra Province was evacuated after the building collapsed but there were no victims reported there, officials said.

Deputy Governor Abra, Joy Bernos, posted photos of the damaged Abra Hospital on his Facebook account, which showed a gaping hole on his facade.

Other photos show the hospital bed, including one with the patient, pushed on the road and the hospital staff being evacuated.

Aftershocks

Abra, home to nearly 250,000 people, is a province that is locked up in the mainland in North Philippines. The valleys are deep and the hills are tilted closed by the rough mountains.

The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters and is located in the “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific which Earthquakes often occur and there are an average of 20 typhoons every year, some triggers a deadly landslide.

Eric Singson, a member of the Congress in Ilocos Sur Province, also in the north, told DZMM radio stations that the earthquake had been strongly felt there and lasted 30 seconds or more.

“I think my house will fall,” Singson said. “Now, we are trying to reach people … now there is a aftershock so we are outside our home.”

The earthquake damaged the inheritance building in the city of Vigan, known for its old Spanish colonial architecture, on the west coast of Luzon.

Edison Adducul’s tourist told the radio that he took a photo of the Bantay Church Bell Tower in Vigan when the earthquake struck, shaking the tower for up to three minutes.

Senator Imee Marcos said several churches were damaged.

“Antique bricks and rocks fall from the Bantay Bell Tower,” he said.

The earthquake was also felt in Manila where several buildings were evacuated, with several people forced to escape from the 30th floor of one building, and the city’s metro train system was stopped during rush hour.