At least 26 injured in 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Philippines | News

The shaking was felt as far away as the capital, Manila, 330 km (205 mi) south of the epicenter.

At least 26 people were injured in the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that shook the northern Philippines, causing an international airport to close, sending panicked residents onto the streets and wreaking havoc on a hospital.

The earthquake, which struck near the town of Dolores at 22:59 (14:59 GMT) on Tuesday, was felt 330km (205 miles) south as far as the capital, Manila.

Police and civil aviation officials said at least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the hometown of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

(Al Jazeera)

The president, also known as Bongbong, warned of aftershocks on Wednesday and advised people to stay away from tall structures in a tweet.

As aftershocks continue, we are coordinating with DPWH for road and building inspection, DSWD for assistance, DOE for outages, and DILG for monitoring.

Everyone is advised to stay away from tall structures.

Agridam ken agananadtayo, kakailian. Umaykam is a tumulus. https://t.co/akf8YkJOcW

— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) October 26, 2022

Patients were evacuated from the 200-bed Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital in the city of Batac, about 60 km (37 mi) north of the epicenter, where some of the worst damage ever reported continued.

At least two towns in Cagayan province temporarily lost electricity due to damaged power lines. Many bridges and roads in the surrounding provinces were damaged.

In the town of La Paz in Abra, a century-old Christian church was damaged, with parts of the bell tower collapsing and some walls cracked, filling the church’s grassy courtyard with debris, officials said.

Significant earthquake, preliminary information: M 6.5 – 11 km DKD, Dolores, Philippines https://t.co/q9auPOPbUW

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) 25 October 2022

Dolores town police officer Jeffrey Blanes said “buildings were shaking and that’s why people were running out.”

A community in the municipality of Aparri, located more than 100 km (62 miles) from the epicenter, reported on the website of the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) that it was the largest shaking they had ever experienced.

“The longest earthquake I’ve ever felt in my life. Thank God we are safe. Stay safe everyone,” read the caption.

ℹEvent summary: today is an M6.6 #earthquake (#lindol) hit #Drunk (#Philippines) at 22:59:03 local time (UTC 14:59:03). The shaking was felt by about 16 million people in the Philippines for more than 300 km.

– EMSC (@LastQuake) 25 October 2022

Photos of collapsed ceilings in some hospital rooms and dozens of patients waiting in chairs in the driveway outside were posted on the local fire department’s official Facebook page.

“Authorities took us out of the building while they were checking the integrity of the building… We are currently doing an assessment of the damage,” hospital worker Tom Tabije told AFP news agency by phone.

The civil defense office in Abra province, where Dolores is located, said no casualties were reported, but the extent of the damage would not be known until morning.

“As it is night now, we cannot make a comprehensive assessment of the impact, and we are also considering the safety of our people,” Abra rescue worker Joel de Leon told AFP by phone.

A woman walks past a damaged church following the July 2022 earthquake in Bangued, Abra province, Philippines. [File: Lisa Marie David/Reuters]

Eleven people were killed and several hundred injured when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the mountainous state of Abra in July, triggering landslides and cracks in the ground. In October 2013, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the central island of Bohol, killing more than 200 people.

Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an intense arc of seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan to Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

.