Big earthquake hits the Philippines

A violent earthquake hit the northern Philippines. At least four people were killed and at least 60 others were injured. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially put the quake, which occurred just before 9 a.m. (local time) today, with a magnitude of 7.3. The value was later modified to seven.

The epicenter of the quake was in Lagangelang town in Ibra province. The region is located north of Luzon Island, 335 km north of the capital, Manila. There was no tsunami warning.

Police in La Trinidad, the capital of the landlocked Benguet province in Luzon, said a 25-year-old construction worker died when a three-story building he was working in collapsed. Five people were reportedly injured in landslides and falling rocks.

We feel the aftershocks every 15 minutes.

The mayor of Lagangelang said many buildings and bridges were damaged. In addition, landslides are said to have occurred. Civil Protection announced a power outage and wireless signals in some affected areas. “We feel aftershocks every 15 minutes,” the province’s deputy governor, Joy Byrnos, said on Philippine television.

Local Congressman Cheng Bernus has shared photos online showing homes half-collapsed or leaning on their sides, as well as buildings with large cracks and broken glass windows. The quake was felt as far away as Manila as people were evacuated from homes and offices. Many high-rises were evacuated. The elevated railways in Metro Manila have also been shut down as a precaution.

The Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire – the most geologically active region on Earth. In 2013, 220 people were killed in the center of the Southeast Asian island nation in the latest strong earthquake of magnitude 7.1. In July 1990, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,400 people on the island of Luzon.