Manila: The US Geological Survey reported Saturday that a strong earthquake shook the Philippines, but the quake was deep, so local authorities did not expect any damage.
USGS reported that the 6.7-magnitude quake struck at 4:48 am (2048 GMT) at a depth of 112 kilometers (70 miles). Minutes later, another quake of 5.8 magnitude was felt in the same area.
‘It’s very strong, we’re alarmed,’ said police Major Ronnie Aurellano in Calatagan municipality, Batangas province, south of Manila and near the epicentre. ‘It’s raining hard here as well, but our people are used to earthquakes. They know to duck, hold, and cover when an earthquake occurs.’
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‘We’re checking low-lying areas in case there’s a tsunami,’ he said.
The Philippines’ seismological agency expects no damage from the earthquake. A tsunami warning or threat was not issued by the US Tsunami Warning System. ‘It’s not as strong as previous quakes here. We haven’t seen any damage,’ said police Corporal Bernie Faderogao in nearby Mabini.
‘Our sliding door was a little shaken, but it did not break.’
There are frequent earthquakes in the archipelago due to its proximity to the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ arc, an area of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
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