Earthquake with a 7.3 Magnitude Strikes Philippines

By: Yifei Mei

In Manila, an earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.3 struck northern Philippines on Wednesday morning. It killed at least four, injured at least 44 people, and damaged over a hundred buildings across the region.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit in Abra, at 8:43 A.M. local time. The U.S. Geological Survey listed the magnitude as 7 and its depth at 10 kilometers (about 6 miles).

About 15 cities and 280 towns felt the earthquake, and multiple roads were rendered impassable across the northern island of Luzon.

The earthquake was felt in the capital, Manila, but it was stronger in the north. It affected the northwestern region of Ilocos, Mountain Provine, and the north of Baguio, a tourist city.

Churches, a few historical buildings were damaged as well. It caused dozens of landslides and severely damaged buildings. Officials noted that the quake caused at least 50 landslides.

In a viral video, it was seen that parts of the century old Bantay Bell Tower fell in Vigan City, capital of Ilocos Sur. The Bantay Bell Tower fell while observers in a nearby park ran.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he plans to visit the sites affected by the quake on Thursday. In a statement, he said “We are making sure there is adequate response to the needs of our countrymen affected by this disaster.”

The Philippines is located along the Ring of Fire, it’s a path around the Pacific Ocean that’s known for its earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The archipelago in the Western Pacific Ocean is frequented by typhoons.

According to USGS, 11 other earthquakes, with magnitudes with 6.5 or higher took place within about 250 kilometers (150 miles) of the current quake. One of these was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in 1990. It was the deadliest, and it killed over 1,600 and injured about 3,000 people.

During a news briefing on Wednesday, President Marco says “he’d support the creation of a new department for disaster resilience. I don’t like to say it, but it looks like this will be more frequent,” he said, referring to the disasters and powerful weather events. “We need more capability than we have now.”

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/27/philippines-earthquake-luzon-abra/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/world/asia/philippines-earthquake.html