Manila, Oct 26 – The Philippines evaluates this Wednesday the damage caused by the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that shook the island of Luzon, north of the Philippines, without any fatalities for the time being in the absence of the official report by the national emergency service.

Several images published on social networks by the Ilocos Norte fire service, in northern Luzon, show substantial damage to public buildings and the Mariano Marcos hospital in Batac, 60 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake, where more than 200 patients were evacuated. , hospital sources confirmed to GLM.

At the moment, no fatalities or injuries have been certified by the earthquake, which was felt in Manila, the Philippine capital, about 320 kilometers south of the epicenter.

The earthquake hit the provinces of Abra and Ilocos Norte, the same area that suffered a strong earthquake at the end of July, leaving at least 10 dead and serious damage to civil infrastructure in more than thirty cities, as well as to historic buildings in the Vigan city.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which records seismic activity around the world, placed the earthquake at a depth of 15 kilometers and about 12 kilometers east of the town of Dolores, with about 32,500 inhabitants.

The earthquake, which occurred around 11:00 p.m. (GMT + 8), was followed by numerous smaller aftershocks that occurred throughout the early morning and morning of this Wednesday.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned on social media today of possible aftershocks and urged citizens to “stay away from tall buildings.”

The Philippines sits on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an area that accumulates around 90% of the world’s seismic and volcanic activity, and is shaken by some 7,000 tremors a year, most of them moderate.

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