Status: 07/27/2022 08:31 a.m
A strong earthquake has shaken the north of the Philippines. Buildings and bridges were damaged and at least one person died. The tremors were felt even in the capital, hundreds of kilometers away.
One of the worst earthquakes in recent years has struck the Philippines. At least one person was killed in the quake, which struck around 8:43 a.m. local time, and the search for victims continues. The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Philippines (Phivolcs) put the magnitude of the quake at 7.0. There is no tsunami warning yet.
Landslides were reported from several areas, in which at least five people were injured, according to the authorities. Auxiliary workers are already on duty to clear streets. Numerous buildings and bridges were also damaged, said the mayor of Lagangilang, a city in the north of the Philippines. Power and radio signals went out in some affected areas.
According to the authorities, the epicenter was in the province of Abra. The region is located in the north of the island of Luzon, more than 300 kilometers north of the capital Manila. “We feel aftershocks every 15 minutes,” provincial vice governor Joy Bernos said on Philippine television. Local Congressman Ching Bernos shared photos online showing houses and buildings half collapsed or tipped on their sides, with large cracks and broken glass windows.
Swaying skyscrapers in the capital
The tremors were felt even in the capital, hundreds of kilometers away, and residents reported swaying high-rise buildings. Several skyscrapers were evacuated, and the operation of the elevated railway in Greater Manila was stopped as a precaution.
The Philippines lies on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide beneath the earth’s surface. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are therefore not uncommon in the Southeast Asian country. In October 2013, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed more than 200 people. In 1990, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the north of the Philippines triggered a 100-kilometer-long landslide. More than 1,200 people died and there was massive damage to buildings in the capital, Manila.