Powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Philippines; 5 dead, more than a hundred injured

Residents evacuate their building after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake about 300km away was felt in Manila on Jul 27, 2022. (Photo: AFP/Jam Sta Rosa)

MANILA: A strong earthquake in the northern Philippines has killed five people and injured more than a hundred, the country's interior minister said on Wednesday (Jul 27).

Two construction workers in the nearby landlocked province of Benguet died in separate incidents, police said.

Another person was killed when boulders smashed into the building site where he was working in Kalinga province, police said. Six other workers were injured.

Police said an elderly woman in Suyo municipality in Ilocos Sur province suffered fatal injuries after she was buried by a landslide while out walking.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Luzon, damaging buildings in the northern Abra province and sending strong tremors through the capital, Manila.

Among the dead was a 25-year-old man killed by falling debris, said Abra Vice Governor Joy Bernos, when the quake struck about 11km south-east of Dolores town at a shallow depth of 10km, according to United States Geological Survey data.

"Despite the sad reports about the damages caused by the earthquake, we are assuring (a) quick response to those in need and affected by this calamity," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Facebook.

The quake hit close to the Marcos family's political stronghold.

A car is buried under debris from a ruined old house in Vigan city, Ilocos Sur province, north of Manila, on Jul 27, 2022, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the northern Philippines. (Photo: AFP/Ricardo Raguini, CJ Ericson Garcia)

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

Bernos posted photos of the damaged Abra hospital on her Facebook account, which showed a gaping hole in its facade.

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

"We are still experiencing aftershocks. We have received reports of damages to houses. But so far no casualties," Mayor Rovelyn Villamor in the town of Lagangilang in Abra province told radio station DZRH.

Renato Solidum, director of the state seismology agency, told DZRH that strong aftershocks were expected.

"The focus of attention is on Abra and nearby provinces. This is a major earthquake," Solidum said, adding that landslides had been reported in some parts of Abra, particularly in the town of Manabo.

AFTERSHOCKS

Abra, home to nearly 250,000 people, is a landlocked province in the northern Philippines. Its deep valleys and sloping hills are enclosed by rugged mountains.

The Philippines is prone to natural disasters and is located on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, a band of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs round the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes are frequent and there are an average of 20 typhoons each year, some triggering deadly landslides.

Eric Singson, a congressman in Ilocos Sur province, also in the north, told radio station DZMM that the quake had been felt strongly there and lasted 30 seconds or more.

"I thought my house would fall," said Singson. "Now, we are trying to reach people .... Right now there are aftershocks so we are outside our home."

Residents try to clear up debris from an old house in Vigan city, Ilocos Sur province, north of Manila, on Jul 27, 2022, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the northern Philippines. (Photo: AFP/Ricardo Raguini, CJ Ericson Garcia)

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

Tourist Edison Adducul told radio that he was taking photos of the Bantay Church Bell Tower in Vigan when the quake struck, shaking the tower for up to three minutes.

Senator Imee Marcos said that several churches were damaged.

"The antique bricks and coral stones fell down from the Bantay Bell Tower," she said.

The quake was also felt in Manila where several buildings were evacuated, with some people forced to flee from the 30th floor of one building, and the city's metro rail systems were halted at rush hour.

This article was originally published on Channel Newsasia, 27 July 2022. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes. 

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