Magnitude-7 earthquake hits Philippines’ most populous island

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck the Philippines’ largest and most populous island on Wednesday, prompting evacuations, triggering landslides and damaging historic tourist spots.

The tremor hit at a depth of 10km and was recorded at 8.43am Manila time. It originated in Abra province on the main Luzon island’s northern portion, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. Aftershocks were expected, it added.

The earthquake was considered a “major” one, and “can be devastating”, CNN Philippines quoted the institute’s director Renato Solidum as saying. It’s the strongest inland earthquake since the tremor in central Philippines in 2013, he said at a televised briefing.

A damaged building after a strong quake hit Bangued, Abra province, northern Philippines on Wednesday.Credit:AP

New President Ferdinand Marcos jnr, who hails from northern Philippines, would fly to affected areas once it was safe for him to do so, press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said. The leader has ordered rescue and relief teams be dispatched to Abra, she added.

Eric Singson, mayor of Candon City in Ilocos Sur province, asked constituents to leave their houses, anticipating after shocks, he told DZMM radio. Patients in a hospital in Abra were transferred to tents, set up as a temporary evacuation facility.

The tremor triggered landslides in Benguet and Mt Province, leading to road closures, authorities said. Power interruption and poor internet and phone connections are also being experienced, they said.

“The ground shook like I was on a swing and the lights suddenly went out. We rushed out of the office, and I heard screams and some of my companions were in tears,” said Michael Brillantes, a safety officer of the Abra town of Lagangilang, near the epicentre.

“It was the most powerful quake I’ve felt and I thought the ground would open up,” Brillantes told The Associated Press by mobile phone.

A villager died when he was hit by falling cement slabs in his house in Abra, where at least 25 others were injured and were mostly confined in hospitals, officials said.

A construction worker was hit by debris and died in the strawberry-growing mountain town of La Trinidad in Benguet province, where some roads were shut by landslides and boulders. Five people were injured when rocks and debris pummelled their SUV and a truck on a hillside road in Mountain Province near Benguet, officials said.

A wall collapsed on this car in Ilocos Sur Province, Philippines, on Wednesday.Credit:Philippine Red Cross/AP

The historic city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for ancestral houses, also sustained damage, according to CNN Philippines. A centuries-old bell tower in the area also crumbled.

The earthquake was also felt in the capital Manila, where office buildings were evacuated and rail operations were halted.

There’s no tsunami alert from the earthquake in the South-east Asian nation, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Bloomberg, AP

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