Death toll in Philippines quake rises to 4, with 60 injured

• Powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes northern Philippine island of Luzon.
• Interior secretary: Two people killed in Benguet province, one in Abra province, and one in another province.
• US Geological Survey data:. Quake struck about 11 kilometres (six miles) southeast of Dolores. Abra is a landlocked province in the northern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the northern Philippine island of Luzon on Wednesday, killing four people, damaging buildings, and causing strong tremors in Manila.

According to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos, two people were killed in Benguet province, one in Abra province, and one in another province. According to him, sixty people were injured.

According to US Geological Survey data, the quake struck about 11 kilometres (six miles) southeast of Dolores at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles).

“Despite the heartbreaking reports of earthquake damage, we are ensuring a prompt response to those in need and affected by this calamity,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Facebook.

Strong aftershocks were expected, according to Renato Solidum, director of the state seismology agency.

“The focus is on Abra and neighbouring provinces. This is a significant earthquake “said Solidum.

According to Abalos, 173 buildings were damaged and 58 landslides were reported in Abra province, with 44 of the 60 people injured.

A hospital in Abra province was evacuated after the building partially collapsed, but no casualties were reported, according to officials.

Joy Bernos, Abra’s vice governor, posted photos of the damaged Abra hospital on her Facebook page, showing a gaping hole in its facade.

Other images showed hospital beds, including one with a patient, being wheeled across a road and hospital staff being evacuated.

Aftershocks
Abra is a landlocked province in the northern Philippines that is home to nearly 250,000 people. It is surrounded by rugged mountains and has deep valleys and sloping hills.

The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters and is located on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a band of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs around the Pacific Ocean’s edge. Earthquakes are common, and there are 20 typhoons on average each year, some of which cause deadly landslides.

Eric Singson, a congressman from the northern province of Ilocos Sur, told DZMM radio station that the quake was felt strongly there and lasted 30 seconds or more.

“I thought my house was going to collapse,” Singson said. “Now we’re attempting to reach out to people…. We are currently outside our home due to aftershocks.”

The quake damaged heritage buildings in Vigan, a city on the west coast of Luzon known for its old Spanish colonial architecture.

Edison Adducul, a tourist, told radio that he was photographing the Bantay Church Bell Tower in Vigan when the earthquake struck, shaking the tower for up to three minutes.

Senator Imee Marcos stated that several churches had been damaged.

“The Bantay Bell Tower’s antique bricks and coral stones fell down,” she explained.

The quake was felt in Manila as well, where several buildings were evacuated and some people were forced to flee from the 30th floor of one building, and the city’s metro rail systems were shut down during rush hour.

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