Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The U.S. Geological Survey said that a large 7.1 magnitude earthquake slammed the Philippine island of L...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - The U.S. Geological Survey said that a large 7.1 magnitude earthquake slammed the Philippine island of Luzon on Wednesday, severely damaging a hospital and other structures in a northern province and causing intense tremors in Manila, the capital.
The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km, roughly 11 km (six miles) southeast of the town of Dolores, however there were no early reports of significant injuries or fatalities (6 miles).
Abra province's hospital was evacuated when the facility partially collapsed as a result of the earthquake, although no casualties were indicated, according to officials.
Abra governor Joy Bernos shared images of the Abra provincial hospital's damaged front door facade on her Facebook page. The images showed a large hole. In other images, patients and medical employees were seen being evacuated as well as hospital beds being wheeled across the street.
"Aftershocks are still happening. There have been reports of homes being damaged. However, there have been no injuries to date "stated Rovelyn Villamor, mayor of Lagangilang, a town in the province of Abra.
Villamor told DZRH radio, "We don't have power supply since that's immediately switched off due to hazard."
Strong aftershocks were anticipated, according to Renato Solidum, director of the state seismology department, who spoke to the DZRH radio station.
"Abra and the surrounding provinces are the main areas of interest. This earthquake is really large "Landslides have been observed in certain areas of Abra, particularly in the town of Manabo, Solidum added.
Abra is a landlocked province in the northern Philippines with a population of close to 250,000 people. It has rough mountains surrounding it, enclosing its deep valleys and sloping hills.
A congressman from the north's Ilocos Sur province named Eric Singson told the DZMM radio station that the quake had been felt powerfully there.
"The earthquake lasted for at least thirty seconds. My house was about to topple, "Singson stated.
"We are currently attempting to contact people. We are currently outside our home due to earthquakes."
The quake was also felt in Manila, where the city's metro rail systems were suspended during rush hour and numerous buildings were evacuated, with some individuals being forced to leave the 30th floor of one building.
The seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire," a ring of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean, is where the Philippines is situated, making it vulnerable to natural calamities.
