APD | Strong earthquake sends thousand out of Buildings in Manila, Philipine

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

MANILA, April 22(APD) – A 5.7 Magnitude earthquake of tectonic origin sent thousands of office workers and residents out of medium and high-rise buildings in Metro Manila and suburbs.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the strong earthquake’s epicenter was traced in the vicinity of Castillejos, Zambales in Central Luzon.  It occurred at 5:11 P.M. (local time) and had a depth of 21 kilometers from the surface.

In its Earthquake Bulletin No. 1, Phivolcs said they expect damages to private and public property as well as aftershocks.  Photos available on social media showed a swimming pool atop a high-rise residential building spilled to the ground.

No casualty report from this latest earthquake has been received as of this writing.  

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have occurred every now and then in the archipelago as the country sits in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.

The strongest earthquake took place in the southern island of Mindanao and Sulu Province with Magnitude 8 in August 17,1976 which was followed by four to five-meter high tsunami affecting some 700 kilometers of coastline. It was reported some 8,000 people died in the tragedy.

The most recent strong earthquake took place in Central Visayas on October 15,2013.  As the quake took place at 8:12 A.M., fatalities reached 222 while 976 others were reported injured.  The earthquake damaged centuries-old churches in Cebu and Bohol provinces. 

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)