Advertisement

6.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Philippines capital

By Clyde Hughes
Residents and their pets evacuate in the Makati financial district near Manila, Philippines, after an earthquake hit Monday. Photo by Alecs Ongcal/EPA-EFE
1 of 2 | Residents and their pets evacuate in the Makati financial district near Manila, Philippines, after an earthquake hit Monday. Photo by Alecs Ongcal/EPA-EFE

April 22 (UPI) -- A strong earthquake rattled the Philippines Monday, toppling electricity poles and damaging infrastructure, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck near the Bodega sector of Manila, the nation's capital, on Luzon island. The agency said it had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1.

Advertisement

The quake prompted many residents to flee their homes and interrupted Manila train service.

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said strong shaking was felt in San Felipe, Zambales and Quezon City. Buildings in downtown Manila, about 40 miles from the quake's epicenter, were evacuated. The presidential palace of President Rodrigo Duterte was also evacuated.

Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda said the tremor caused power outages and damaged roadways near the epicenter.

"Almost all concrete electric posts in the barangay in Lubao have fallen down," she said.

Renato Solidum, the institute's officer-in-charge, told reporters the earthquake lasted about 10 seconds but wasn't strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning.

Latest Headlines