BAGUIO 27 July (Online): A strong earthquake in northern Philippines has killed four people and injured 60, the interior minister said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos told a televised news conference that two people died in Benguet province, one in Abra province, and one more in another province.<\/p>\n
According to Us Geological Survey data, the quake struck about 11 kilometres southeast of the Dolores town at a shallow depth of 10 km.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the sad reports about the damages caused by the earthquake, we are assuring quick response to those in need and affected by this calamity,\u201d President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a message on Facebook.
\nThe quake hit close to Marcos family\u2019s political stronghold.<\/p>\n
Strong aftershocks are expected said the director of state seismology agency Renato Solidum, to DZRH radio station.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus of attention is on Abra and nearby provinces. This is a major earthquake,\u201d Solidum said.<\/p>\n
Abalos said 173 buildings were damaged and 58 landslides reported, with 44 of the 60 injured in Abra province.<\/p>\n
A hospital in Abra province was evacuated after the building partially collapsed but there were no casualties reported there, officials told.<\/p>\n
Abra\u2019s vice governor, Joy Bernos, posted photos of the damaged Abra hospital on her Facebook account, which showed a gaping hole in its facade.<\/p>\n
Other photos showed hospital beds, including one with a patient, being wheeled across a road and evacuated hospital staff.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Philippines is prone to natural disasters and is located on the seismically active Pacific \u201cRing of Fire\u201d, a band of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs round the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes are frequent and there is an average of 20 typhoons each year, some triggering deadly landslides.<\/p>\n
Eric Singson, a congressman in Ilocos Sur province, also in the north, told DZMM radio station the quake had been felt strongly there and lasted 30 seconds or more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought my house would fall,\u201d said Singson. \u201cNow, we are trying to reach people, Right now there are aftershocks so we are outside our home.\u201d
\nThe quake damaged heritage buildings in the city of Vigan, known for its old Spanish colonial architecture, on the west coast of Luzon.<\/p>\n
Tourist Edison Adducul told the radio station he was taking photos of the Bantay Church Bell tower in Vigan when the quake struck, shaking the tower for up to three minutes.<\/p>\n
Senator Imee Marcos said several churches were damaged.
\n\u201cThe antique bricks and coral stones fell down from the Bantay Bell Tower,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s metro rail systems were halted at rush hour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BAGUIO 27 July (Online): A strong earthquake in northern Philippines has killed four people and injured 60, the interior minister said on Wednesday. Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos told a televised news conference that two people died in Benguet province, one in Abra province, and one […]<\/p>\n
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