At least one person was killed and dozens of buildings were damaged, including a quarantine center for coronavirus, after a strong earthquake struck the central Philippines on Tuesday, according to officials.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck 8 miles east of San Pedro at a depth of about 6 miles.
“My things at home fell down and the walls of my neighbors cracked and some crashed in,” Rodrigo Gonhuran told Reuters from the city of Cataingan, near the epicenter.
THE RING OF FREE
In Cataingan, officials said a three-story house collapsed when the ground shook.
In this photo released by the Philippine Red Cross, a volunteer takes photos of a damaged structure after a strong earthquake in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
(Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
One man, a retired police officer trapped in the rubble, died when rescuers searched for other members of his family who were missing.
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, a dilapidated house is seen after a hiding place on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 in Cataingan, Masbate Province, Central Philippines.
(John Mark Lalaguna / Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
More than 40 people were injured in the quake in Masbate province, according to disaster response officials.
The Temblor, the strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines in eight months, damaged roads and buildings, including a sports complex used as a coronavirus center.
In these photos provided by the Philippine Red Cross, debris is scattered near a house and a volunteer looks at the cracks on a road after a shelter collapsed in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines.
(John Mark Lalaguna / Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
Provincial manager Rino Revalo told radio station DZMM that engineers are still inspecting the damaged sports complex. Patients were evacuated from a hospital in tents due to cracks in the building, according to Reuters.
The Philippines has the most cases of coronavirus in Southeast Asia, with more than 164,000 confirmed infections and 2,681 deaths as of Tuesday.
Resident of Cataingan Isagani Libatan told the Associated Press that he was on his way to his aunt’s house for breakfast when his motorcycle suddenly swerved when the ground shook.
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“I thought it was my bond, but people suddenly streamed in panic from swinging houses and then we lost power,” Libatan said.
. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region on Tuesday, forcing people to flee homes and offices.
(AP Photo / Christopher Decamon)
The quake was felt in several provinces in the central Visayas region, but no risk of a tsunami was reported.
A wounded man is being treated after a strong earthquake on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines.
(AP Photo / Christopher Decamon)
The Philippines lies along the volatile “Ring of Fire” seismic fault system that surrounds the Pacific Ocean.
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This area is the location of most of the Earth’s subduction zones, where oceanic plates slide beneath the lighter continental plates.
A map showing the ‘Ring of Fire’, where more than half of the world’s active volcanoes above sea level surround the Pacific Ocean.
(USGS)
Earthquakes often occur when those plates scratch or collapse under each other, and when that happens at sea it can attract tsunamis.
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A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1990 killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines.
The country is also hit every year by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms, making it one of the most rural disaster countries in the world.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
