ISLAMABAD, July 27 (Alliance News): Four people have been killed and 60 injured as a result of a strong earthquake in the northern Philippines.
According to foreign media, Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos said in a televised news conference that two people were killed in Benguet province, one in Abra province and one in another province.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km, 11 km southeast of the town of Dolores.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Facebook that despite the sad reports about the damage caused by the earthquake, we are trying to ensure the immediate delivery of aid to the needy and those affected by this disaster.
The quake hit close to the political stronghold of the Marcos family.
Renato Solidum, director of the state seismology agency, told DZRH radio station that strong aftershocks were expected.
Rento said that the epicenter of the earthquake was near Abra and nearby provinces and it is a big earthquake.
Abalos said 173 buildings were damaged and landslides were reported in 58 places in Abra province, with 44 out of 60 injured.
A hospital in Abra province has been evacuated after the building partially collapsed, officials said, but no casualties were reported there.
Abra Deputy Governor Joy Burnos posted photos on her Facebook account of the damaged Abra Hospital showing a large hole in its front.
Aftershocks
With a population of two and a half million people, Abra is a landlocked province in the northern Philippines, with deep valleys and steep slopes surrounded 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 straddle the Pacific Ocean, earthquakes are frequent and every There are an average of 20 storms a year, some of which cause deadly landslides.
Also to the north, Eric Singson, a congressman from Ilocos Sur province, told DZMM radio station that tremors were strongly felt there and lasted for 30 seconds or more.
“I thought my house was going to collapse, now we’re trying to get to people… the aftershocks are coming right now so we’re out of our house,” Eric Singson said.
The quake also damaged heritage buildings in the city of Vigan on Luzon’s west coast, known for its old Spanish colonial architecture.
Tourist Addison Adokole told the radio station that he was in Wigan taking pictures of the Bunte Church bell tower when the earthquake struck and caused the tower to shake for three minutes.
Senator Amy Marcos said that many churches have been damaged.
The tremors were also felt in Manila, where several buildings were evacuated, with some people forced to evacuate from the 30th floor of a building, while the city’s metro rail system was suspended during rush hour.