Earthquake in the Philippines
The Canadian Press – July 26, 2022 / 19:58 | History: 377328
Photo: The Canadian Press
Employees of the Department of Human Settlements and Development evacuate their building after an earthquake in Quezon City, Philippines, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. A strong earthquake shook the northern Philippines on Wednesday, causing some damage and causing people run away from buildings in the capital. . Authorities said no casualties were immediately reported. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)
A strong earthquake shook the northern Philippines on Wednesday, injuring at least one person, damaging buildings and sending many people in the capital fleeing outdoors.
The 7-magnitude quake was centered in Abra province, in a mountainous area, said Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
“The floor 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 colleagues were crying,” said Michael Brillantes, a security officer at the town of Abra de Lagangilang, near the epicenter.
“It was the most powerful earthquake I’ve ever felt and I thought the floor was going to open,” Brillantes told The Associated Press by cellphone.
At least one resident of the village suffered a cut on her foot and was treated at a clinic, Brillantes said, adding that many houses and buildings had cracked walls, including some that collapsed.
Authorities were checking for damage or landslides in mountain villages on the northern fringes of Abra, a landlocked agricultural province.
The earthquake’s strength was downgraded from an initial magnitude of 7.3 after further analysis. The quake originated from movement on a local fault at a depth of 25 kilometers (15 miles), the institute said, adding that damage and more aftershocks were expected.
The US Geological Survey measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.0 and the depth at 10 kilometers (6 miles). Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. It is also battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.