A significant Earth Quake struck the northern Philippines on Wednesday morning, killing at least four, injuring dozens, and damaging more than a hundred buildings across the region.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the province of Abra at 8:43 a.m. local time. The U.S. Geological Survey listed the earthquake magnitude at seven and its depth at 10 kilometres (six miles).
Landslides and power interruptions were reported across the northern island of Luzon. About 15 cities and 280 towns felt the quake, and several roads were rendered impassable.
The quake was felt in the capital, Manila. Still, it was more robust in the north, affecting the northwestern region of Ilocos and Mountain Province, north of the tourist city of Baguio. Churches and historic buildings were damaged.
In a viral video, parts of the centuries-old Bantay Bell Tower in Vigan City, capital of Ilocos Sur, fell as onlookers in an adjacent park ran.
The country is also anticipating a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, known locally as “the Big One,” when a 100-kilometre (62-mile) fault line cutting across the Manila region shifts. Authorities say the fault last moved in 1658, which could cause “great devastation” in the capital region when it moves again.
