At least one person died in an earthquake in northern Philippines on Wednesday. The epicenter of the 7.1 magnitude quake was in the province of Abra on the main island of Luzón, according to the USGS. It was the strongest tremors in the Philippines in years. Even residents of the capital Manila, more than 300 kilometers away, reported swaying high-rise buildings. Several high-rise towers were evacuated. The operation of the elevated railway in Greater Manila was also discontinued as a precaution.
The earthquake happened at 8:43 a.m. local time. According to the USGS, the origin of the earthquake was near the surface of the earth, which usually makes damage to buildings more likely. One can also “not rule out that another strong earthquake will occur,” said the head of the Seismological Institute of the Philippines, Renato Solidum.
In La Trinidad, the capital of the landlocked province of Benguet on Luzón, a 25-year-old construction worker died when a three-story building he was working on collapsed, police said. Seven other construction workers were able to get to safety unharmed.
Landslides are reported from several areas. According to a spokesman for the national civil protection authority, aid workers are already at work to clear roads. So far there have been no reports of damage to dams.
Video from Bangued, the provincial capital of Abra, released on Facebook and verified by AFP news agency, shows cracks in the road surface but no visible damage to residential or commercial buildings. According to the local police chief, several people were taken to hospital with injuries. There are cracks in the walls of buildings, the electricity and the Internet connection have failed.
Several Spanish colonial buildings were damaged in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province. Video footage published and verified on Facebook shows that the bell tower of Bantay Church, popular with tourists, has partially collapsed.
In the town of Dolores, near the epicenter, terrified residents ran into the streets and windows smashed at a market, local police agent Edwin Sergio told AFP. “The earthquake was very strong.” In the police station there were small cracks in the wall.
The Philippines lies on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide beneath the earth’s surface. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are therefore not uncommon in the Southeast Asian country. In October 2013, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed more than 200 people. In 1990, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the northern Philippines triggered a landslide more than 100 kilometers long. More than 1,200 people died and there was massive damage to buildings in the capital, Manila.