Four people
died and more than 100 were injured after a powerful earthquake struck the
island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines late Friday, damaging some
structures and cutting power in many areas, local officials said.
The 6.7
earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km and the epicenter was about 13 km east
of the city of Surigao, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration said there was no tsunami threat from the earthquake.
Renato
Solidum, head of the Philippines' seismic agency, said on radio on Saturday
morning 89 aftershocks had been recorded and more could be expected but they
were unlikely to cause significant damage.
Friday's quake
was the strongest since the city was rocked by a 6.9 quake in 1879, Solidum
said.
People rushed
to open spaces and spent the night in parks and shelter areas, according to
radio reports.
Power-lines
were down, water supply was interrupted, a bridge and a hotel collapsed and
some homes were damaged, Surigao City Councilor Rise Recabo told DZRH radio.
Officials
closed Surigao's airport because of cracks on the runway.
The
Philippines is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences
frequent earthquakes.
REUTERS
0 Comments