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Philippines: A strong earthquake rocked central Philippines early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said. The US Geological Survey said a magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook the central Philippines.
The strong and shallow quake struck off Masbate province in the centre of the archipelago nation shortly after 2:00 a.m. local time (1800GMT), jolting people awake.
The epicenter of the quake was 11 kilometers (seven miles) from the nearest village of Miaga in Uson Municipality on the main island of Masbate, according to the USGS. At present, no information has been received about the loss of life and property and no tsunami warning was issued.
Gregorio Edig, a disaster official at Dimasang Municipality, said he felt a strong aftershock about an hour after the quake. But there was no damage to buildings and other structures in the area. Edig said that later we will visit the schools in each village and inspect their buildings. The Masbate Education Department declared a holiday for schools today reportedly due to “continuing aftershocks being felt” in the province.
Earlier this month, another 6.1 magnitude quake had hit a mountainous region in the southeastern Philippines. The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur, news agency reported.
It is also hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countrie.Last July, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake triggered landslides and cracks in the ground in Mount Abra, killing 11 people and injuring several hundred.
