At least eight people were killed on Monday when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the important island of Luzon within the Philippines, and dozens can have been trapped under the rubble of a collapsed business constructing.
The earthquake struck 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the capital, Manila, disrupting air, rail and road transport and causing some damage to buildings and infrastructure. Clark International Airport, a former US military base, was closed and greater than 100 flights were canceled because of damage to parts of the ability, including check-in areas.
The province of Pampanga suffered probably the most. Eight people died and about 20 were injured, provincial governor Lilia Pineda said by phone, citing information received from officials answerable for the disaster.
Rescuers used heavy equipment and search dogs to achieve people trapped after a four-story constructing collapsed, crushing a supermarket on the bottom floor, she added.
“You can hear them crying in pain,” she said of those imprisoned. “Saving them won’t be easy.”
The quake was initially reported to have had a magnitude of 6.3, but was later downgraded to six.1, U.S. and Philippine seismological authorities said.
The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters and is positioned within the seismically lively “Ring of Fire” within the Pacific, a horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes and faults surrounding the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It also receives a median of 20 typhoons a 12 months, bringing heavy rains that trigger deadly landslides.
Large cracks appeared on provincial roads and power poles were knocked down.
Rescue teams in Manila were preparing to step up efforts to achieve people trapped in Pampanga. The government urged people to stay calm as rumors of more deaths and destruction began appearing online.
“We urge them to refrain from spreading disinformation on social media, which may cause unnecessary anxiety, panic and stress,” said presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.
In Manila, the earthquake, which struck shortly after 5 p.m., caused tall buildings in major business districts to sway for several minutes.
Feliza Villanueva, 21, a business process outsourcing employee, said she and 4 colleagues were at work when the earthquake struck.
“It was the second strongest quake I’ve felt in my entire life,” she said, joining lots of of others within the courtyard of an office constructing, waiting for every part to clear up. “We were worried, but we didn’t panic. We planned how to evacuate the building.
“There were too many people coming down the stairs, so we waited our turn. People looked shocked, but no one was screaming or anything like that.”
Elevated railway services were suspended and staff were evacuated from offices and apartments, causing people to flood onto sidewalks and bus queues and create much more chaos on roads which might be amongst probably the most congested on the planet.
Mark Genesis Samodio, 23, a maintenance employee at a Makati apartment constructing within the capital, said the earthquake’s force was unusual, even for a city already used to them.
“I was sitting and then it shook so hard I thought they were rocking me in a cradle,” he said.
Local geologists said the quake was centered within the town of Castillejos, about 100 km (62 miles) northwest of Manila. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey found that its epicenter was 40 km (25 miles) below the Earth’s surface.
Dani Justo, a martial arts instructor, said she was at her home in Manila when the earthquake struck.
“The clothes hanging on our line were really swinging. My shih-tzu fell flat to the bottom,” she said of her dog.
The transportation agency said metro Manila rail lines suspended operations to evaluate possible damage.
The Manila airport runway was also checked for damage. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Air canceled flights to and from Clark, including flights to and from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Government spokesman Edgar Posadas said the federal government’s civil defense units and disaster monitoring agency proceed to gather data from different regions on the extent of harm to people and property.
Aftershocks continued to be felt in Metro Manila.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Bloomberg
