- One dead, at least 18 injured in earthquake
- Strong tremors were felt in offices, shopping centers and at the airport
- Philippines in the earthquake-prone Pacific Ring of Fire
MANILA, Nov 17 (Portal) – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Friday. Authorities said one person died, dozens were injured and buildings were damaged.
According to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), the earthquake occurred off the island of Mindanao at a depth of 60 kilometers.
Angel Dugaduga, a civil protection official in the coastal town of Glan near the epicenter, said at least one person had died and 18 others were injured, according to an initial report.
The city’s municipal office building and gymnasium were also damaged by the quake and the quake caused a power outage, Dugaduga added.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines because it lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean that is prone to seismic activity.
The Philippine seismology agency PHIVOLCS and the Pacific Tsunamic Warning Center said a tsunami was not expected.
Amor Mio, police chief in the nearby town of Koronadal, said there were no reports of injuries, but officers checked a shopping center that was reportedly damaged.
“For their safety, the evacuation of employees was ordered. According to the local police, there was significant damage, but we have not yet been able to determine the exact extent of it,” Mio said by phone.
PHIVOLCS director Teresito Bacolcol told DZRH Radio the intensity of the earthquake was “destructive, so we would expect damage.”
The earthquake lasted several seconds, he said, advising residents to watch out for aftershocks of magnitude 6.2.
Radio announcer Leny Aranego in the town of General Santos, near Glan, said the quake shook buildings and desks. “We saw the walls crack and computers collapse,” he told radio station DZRH.
Michael Ricafort, economist at lender RCBC, said in a Facebook post that passengers were evacuated to the tarmac at General Santos City airport.
Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; and Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores in Manila; Edited by Kanupriya Kapoor and Andrew Cawthorne
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