Many buildings and bridges are damaged, some areas without power. Even in Manila, hundreds of kilometers away, the tremors were felt.
Manila – The north of the Philippines has been shaken by a violent earthquake. The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Philippines (Phivolcs) initially put the quake, which struck shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning, at a magnitude of 7.3. The value was later revised to 7.
The epicenter was in the town of Lagangilang in Abra province. The region is located in the north of the island of Luzon, 335 kilometers north of the capital Manila. There was no tsunami warning.
The death toll has now risen to four. At least 60 people were injured by collapsing buildings and landslides. The epicenter was Abra province, 335 kilometers north of the capital Manila. Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos said 44 people were injured in the Abra region alone. The tremors were felt even in Manila.
Failure of power and radio signals
Numerous buildings and bridges were damaged, the mayor of Lagangilang said. In addition, landslides are said to have occurred. Civil protection announced that power and radio signals had failed in some affected areas. “We feel aftershocks every 15 minutes,” provincial vice governor Joy Bernos said on Philippine television. “Many people are still staying outside their homes, but so far we have had no reports of any fatalities.”
Rail traffic stopped
Local Congressman Ching Bernos shared photos online showing houses half collapsed or tipped on their sides, as well as buildings with large cracks and broken glass windows. The tremors were felt as far away as Manila, where people were evacuated from homes and offices. Several high-rise towers were evacuated. The operation of the elevated railway in Greater Manila was also stopped as a precaution.
The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire – the most geologically active zone on earth. In 2013, 220 people were killed in the center of the Southeast Asian island state in the last violent earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1. In July 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 2,400 people on the island of Luzon. dpa
