A strong, shallow earthquake shook the central Philippines on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and injuring more than 100, including several in a collapsed building where others were trapped, officials said.

At Least 10 Injured in Philippines Quake (The Weather Channel/Inform)

TACLOBAN, Philippines — A strong, shallow earthquake shook the central Philippines on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and injuring more than 100, including several in a collapsed building where others were trapped, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.5 and struck at a depth of 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) in Leyte province. Filipino seismologists measured the depth at just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and said the quake, caused by movement of the Philippine Fault, was felt most strongly in Leyte’s Kananga town.

Shallow earthquakes generally cause more damage on the Earth’s surface.

A building collapsed in Kananga, killing one person, injuring more than 20 others and trapping at least six, Kananga Mayor Rowena Codilla told DZMM radio.

One person was pulled out from the building alive but injured, Codilla said. She said rescuers are digging a hole in an effort to reach the six others.

“They’re alive because they are communicating with our disaster people,” she said, adding that the rescuers were moving carefully to prevent the rest of the building from tumbling down.

The building had a grocery store, a hardware store and a beauty parlor on the ground floor and a guest house on the second floor, she said.

The quake caused power outages in Kananga and outlying areas.

Thousands of residents, office workers and students fled from homes, buildings and schools, with some falling over as the ground shook. Many refused to return home because of aftershocks.

Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc city, about 30 kilometers (17 miles) from Kananga, told DZMM that a landslide hit a house and killed a young woman. More than 100 others were injured in the area, including many who were “traumatized and hysterical,” he said.

The strong shaking caused cracks in some buildings and roads in the city and power was automatically shut off, Gomez said.

Ormoc’s airport will be closed starting Friday to allow an inspection, officials said.

Delia Vilbar, the treasurer of Ormoc, said she was attending a meeting on the second floor of City Hall when the earthquake struck.

“It was very strong, and the building was shaking,” she said. “I sat down while others in the room went under the table.”

When she went outside to the street, she saw people crying and embracing each other, she said.

Asked about the earthquake, President Rodrigo Duterte, who was visiting southern Bukidnon province, said he had not received any reports of major damage.

The quake struck in a region that was devastated in November 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, which whipped up huge waves that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, leveled entire villages and displaced more than 5 million villagers. Tacloban city, which was hard hit by Haiyan, lost electrical power after Thursday’s earthquake.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.</s>(UPDATED – 6:28 a.m., July 7, 2017) MANILA, Philippines – An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck Leyte on Thursday, leaving at least two persons dead and many others injured.

A tally posted by Ormoc City as of 7:42 p.m. showed at least 103 persons had been treated there, including a female patient form Kananga town whose leg had to be amputated.

The tremor of tectonic origin that had a depth of focus of two kilometers and occurred at 4:03 p.m. also damaged houses and other properties. Its epicenter was traced eight kilometers southwest of Jaro, a third class municipality in Leyte.

Aftershocks continued to rattle the province overnight with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recording more than 40 measuring from magnitude 2.1 to 4.3.

Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez said he was on the second floor of his office and presiding a meeting with members of the local disaster council when the city was hit by the quake, which made him think that this could already be his end.

“Lord, eto na ba talaga ‘yon? Oras na ba? [Lord, is this really it? Is it time?],” Gomez said during a radio interview Thursday, recalling what he was saying while he was feeling the tremor’s intensity.

“Malakas talaga, nasa illaim kami ng lamesa lahat, mga 15 seconds ang earthquake [It was really strong, we were all under the table, the earthquake lasted for about 15 seconds],” he added.

1 dead, 20 hurt as establishment collapses in Kananga

Gomez said he had received reports that a building in Kananga, which is near Ormoc, had collapsed.

Kananga Mayor Rowena Codilla confirmed the incident in a separate radio interview Thursday night. She said 42-year-old Jerry Mediavilla, who was from Ormoc, died when the establishment, which houses a grocery store and a pension inn, fell down.

About 20 more people were hurt and are now being treated in hospitals, according to the mayor.

Kananga is a first class municipality with a population of close to 60,000 people.

Gomez said an 18-year old woman also died in a landslide in Ormoc, but her five-month old infant survived.

Lucy Torres-Gomez, representative of the Fourth District of Leyte, said the aftershocks in Ormoc were stronger than usual.

“Mas malakas compared sa usual aftershocks, ito para pa rin s’yang nakakatakot na lindol ang aftershock,” she said in another radio interview, adding that she had received reports that there were residents who were injured.

Classes suspended in Ormoc

Mayor Gomez said he had ordered the suspension of all classes in Ormoc following the tremor.

“Walang kuryente dito [There’s no electricity here], we’re running on batteries and generators,” he said.

He said landslides had occurred in some mountainous barangays in Ormoc and that cracks on major highways were reported “but these remain passable.”

In Tacloban and Cebu, the tremor caused panic among residents, including employees and students who ran out of buildings and scampered to safety as the ground shook beneath them. Parents, meanwhile, rushed to schools to check on their children.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported that the tremor had caused blackouts in Leyte, Samar, and Bohol.

Power interruptions were also experienced in Panay, Negros, and Cebu but “are now fully restored,” the NGCP said in an advisory released at 6 p.m.

Richard B. Tantoco, Energy Development Corp. (EDC) president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that, “Initial reports from our Leyte plant have all employees accounted for, with some reporting minor injuries.”

“We are aware of news reports of plant damage and are currently awaiting further assessments on the state of our physical assets to determine the exact nature of any damage to our plants,” he added.

No damage to Leyte airports

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the quake “had cause no damage to airports operating in” Leyte.

CAAP said that based on the initial assessment report by its area manager, Engineer Danilo Abareta, the Calbayog, Catarman and Tacloban Airports, which are operating regular commercial flights, “are in normal condition.”

It added that the Ormoc airport “is now being evaluated if it indeed sustain(ed) damage at the end of runway 36 and 18.”

Below are photos from netizens of houses and other establishments damaged by the quake:

‘Not a major quake’

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum said the tremor was not a major earthquake. He said major temblors “are magnitude 7 or greater.”

“Kung sa category, hindi pa ‘yan major earthquake…Ang magnitude 6.5 ay strong, pero sa rural areas ‘di talaga damaging [It’s not yet a major earthquake based on categories…A magnitude 6.5 quake is strong but in rural areas, it’s not really damaging],” said Solidum in an interview Thursday afternoon.

Solidum said that while Tacloban and Cebu felt the highest intensity, there were no significant damage expected in these places.

“Naramdaman sa Tacloban and Cebu, naramdaman lahat ng tao, malakas, pero hindi naman mapanira ‘yon [It was felt in Tacloban and Cebu, it was felt by all people there, it was strong but it’s not damaging]” he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 6.9., which it said hit at a depth of 41 km (26 miles) about 580 km (360 miles) southwest of Manila.

These intensities were felt in the following areas, according to Phivolcs.

Intensity V – Tacloban City; Palo, Leyte; Cebu City

Intensity IV – Tolosa, Leyte; Sagay City, Negros Occidental; Burgos, Surigao del Norte

Intensity III – Bogo City, Cebu; Calatrava, Negros Occidental

Intensity II – Libjo, San Jose, Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands

Intensity I – Roxas City; La Carlota City in Negros Occidental

Click and watch this video clip showing the immediate aftermath of the quake in Kananga:</s>(4th UPDATE) Phivolcs warns that damage and aftershocks are expected

MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the province of Leyte on Thursday afternoon, July 6.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake hit off Jaro, Leyte at 4:03 pm.

Phivolcs also warned that damage and aftershocks are expected.

The following intensities were recorded:
• Intensity IV – Catbalogan City; Cabucgayan and Naval in Biliran; Tolosa and Bato in Leyte; Hinunangan, Southern Leyte; Sagay City, Negros Occidental; Burgos, Surigao del Norte; Biliran, Leyte
• Intensity III – Bogo City and Talisay City in Cebu; Roxas City; Iloilo City; Bacolod City; Inopacan and Baybay in Leyte; Sogod, Southern Leyte; Calatrava, Negros Occidental; Tagbilaran City; Jagna, Bohol; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Guihulngan City and Tayasan in Negros Oriental; Cadiz City, Toboso, and Escalante in Negros Occidental
• Intensity II – Libjo, San Jose, and Cagdianao in Dinagat Islands; Sorsogon City; Lapu-Lapu City; San Juan, Southern Leyte; Javier, Leyte; Tansay and Sibulan in Negros Oriental; Sorsogon City

Dagami municipal administrator Boy Amante said there were no casualties or damage in the town proper, but disaster risk reduction officials and police are still checking the situation in more than 60 barangays there.

Marlon Tano, a Leyte farmer and journalist, told Agence France-Presse the quake knocked him off his feet at his eggplant farm in Borauen, a town near the quake's epicenter.

"It was so strong that I fell," Tano said.

"I saw buses and motorcyles stopping on the highway and people getting off them," he added.

In Cebu City, city administrator Nigel Paul Villarete suspended work at the city hall 4:25 pm onwards as engineers checked on executive and legislative buildings.

There was no immediate warning of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Leyte was the hardest hit when Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck in November 2013, bringing torrential rains and storm surges. Yolanda left 6,300 people dead and 1,062 others missing. (READ: IN NUMBERS: 3 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda)

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's quakes and volcanic eruptions occur. – with reports from Jazmin Bonifacio & Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com</s>TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol- Michelle Barimbao, 28, had to buy kerosene at a gasoline station in the city since the sari-sari stores had ran out of supply after the blackout gripped the province following Thursday’s earthquake.

She said that after eating dinner, they just went to sleep because there was nothing much to do with no electricity.

 Some business establishments with no generator sets in the capital Tagbilaran City were closed.

Barimbao said the blackout reminded her of the aftermath of Supertyphoon Yolanda (International Name: Haiyan) on Nov. 8, 2013 that hit the province three weeks after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Bohol and killed at least 200 people.

Yolanda affected the geothermal power plant in Leyte which caused the brownouts that lasted for more than a month.

Power had not resumed in Bohol as well as in Leyte, Southern Leyte and on Samar Island after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked Leyte at 4:03 p.m. on Thursday.

The quake caused a power transmission system to trip off and damaged power sources.

Bohol sources its power from Leyte since the province has no power source of its own.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) had not given a statement on when power would resume although source said the blackout could last three to four days.

“Power interruption will prolong as full assessment of transmission facilities is still to be completed,” said Betty Martinez, NGCP-Visayas spokesperson.

Based on its advisory on Friday morning, tower along the 138-kV Ormoc-Togonan Line in Ormoc City, Leyte was found leaning following an aerial and ground inspections .

NGCP has also mobilized six line gangs to temporarily restore the Ormoc-Togonan 138kV Line. Another line gang was sent to Kananga Switchyard, owned by Energy Development Corporation (EDC), to assist in restoration and to assess possible ways of extending power from the Tabango Substation to Ormoc Substation, the statement said.

NGCP’s Cebu-Leyte submarine cable, and its Tabango Substation in Leyte continue to transmit power to Leyte Electric Cooperative 5 that served the towns of Tabango, San Isidro, and Villaba.

“There is a complete loss of power in Bohol and Samar islands, and Southern Leyte. Due to supply deficiency caused by the outage of power plants located in Leyte, customers in Cebu, Negros, and Panay may also suffer occasional power interruptions,” said the NGCP advisory.

Since there was no power, several residents in Bohol also complained of no water supply.

“We don’t have power. We don’t have water. Where will we turn to,” asked Anabelle Magoncia, 45, a resident of Ubujan District.

In its advisory, the Bohol Light advised consumers to conserve batteries and water.

“Power plants & NGCP Sub-station in Leyte are shutdown and still on assessment period. Power restoration for Bohol may take long. Please take precautions to prevent fire, conserve water and remove plugs from outlets,” it said.

Many residents vented their frustration on social media.

“Yes of course, we really need to have our own energy source especially now that we have a new international airport and Bohol is progressing rapidly,” said Beryl Elizabeth Lupot.

Lupot, who works with a nongovernment organization in Tagbilaran, said there was a need for Bohol to have its own power source especially with its economic boom.

“Bohol has it all” (tagline sa tourism dba). Except its own energy source,” she added.

Another resident Keith Joseph Sepe posted on Facebook that Bohol had experienced a long Earth Day.

“Bohol needs their own Power Plant ge (should be) prioritize(d) unta na! Dili ang (not the) International airport,” Sepe said. He used the hashtags #Justsaying!! #BoholBlackout #Earthday #EarthquakeLeyte #PrayForLeyte.

Willy Ramasola also posted on Facebooks that the experience should make the local and national officials realize that Bohol should not be dependent on Leyte for its power source.

“Oh well. No need to learn past lessons as long as you make sure you win elections. And the people pay the painful price. Enjoy eating melted ice creams tonight, my fellow Boholanos,” said Ramasola.</s>MANILA: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake killed at least one person in the central Philippines yesterday, with at least five more people trapped inside a collapsed commercial building, officials said.

Rescuers pulled out six people from the three-storey structure in the town of Kananga, near the quake's epicentre on Leyte island, Kananga vice-mayor Elmer Codilla told AFP.

"There are still more people inside, maybe more than five. The rescue operation is ongoing," he added.

Two of those trapped managed to send text messages seeking help, the vice-mayor said.

Officials retrieved one body while six people were rescued without injuries, Mr Codilla said.

Mr Dominico Petilla, the governor of Leyte province, said rescue personnel, ambulances and heavy equipment have been sent to the mountainous town of about 50,000 people.

"They're still trying to pull out the injured," Mr Petilla told CNN Philippines.

The 10-year-old building housed a small hotel upstairs and shops on the ground floor, officials said.

The quake hit at a depth of around six kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

There was no immediate warning of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Large parts of Leyte were devastated by super typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

Huge tsunami-like waves smashed the city of Tacloban and nearby areas, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.

Tacloban and Ormoc, the island's other main city, escaped damage this time, residents contacted by telephone said.</s>MANILA (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck the central Philippines on Thursday killing at least one person and damaging several houses and some infrastructure, officials said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said aftershocks were expected but ruled out any tsunami following the earthquake of magnitude 6.5 that rocked the towns of Jaro and Kananga in Leyte province.

Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez from the province said one person had been confirmed killed and Kananga had been "badly hit".

"There were cracks on the roads and in some areas landslides have been reported," she told ANC News Channel, adding that a building also collapsed.

"The aftershocks are still quite strong."

The U.S. Geological Survey said earlier the quake had a magnitude of 6.9 and struck southwest of Tacloban City, one of the areas hardest hit by a typhoon in 2013.

Tacloban's mayor, Cristina Romualdez, said she received no reports of casualty or damage in her area.</s>SINGAPORE: At least one person was killed after an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck southwest of the Philippine city of Tacloban on Thursday (Jul 6), the US Geological Survey said, 



The magnitude had been revised from an earlier figure of 6.9.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the quake, which hit at a depth of 6.5km about 580km southwest of the capital, Manila.

No tsunami warning was issued, according to US National Tsunami Warning Centre.

A receptionist at Hotel XYZ told AFP the quake was felt in Tacloban, but did not damage buildings there. "It was far away from here, were are okay," the receptionist said.

A receptionist at a hotel in another part of the city reported the quake was felt but did not cause damage in the area. "We are safe," he said.

In Cebu, the biggest city in the central Philippines, a receptionist at a hotel also said there had been no major damage. But people across the region of mostly farming and fishing communities reported feeling a powerful quake.

Marlon Tano, a Leyte farmer and journalist, told AFP the quake knocked him off his feet at his eggplant farm in Borauen, a town near the quake's epicentre.

"It was so strong that I fell," Tano said. "I saw buses and motorcyles stopping on the highway and people getting off them," he added.

Large parts of the island of Leyte were devastated by super typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. Huge tsunami-like waves devastated the city of Tacloban and nearby areas, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.

In February, a 6.5-magnitude quake killed eight people and left more than 250 injured outside the southern city of Surigao.

The following month a 5.9-magnitude tremor killed one person there in March.

Before the Surigao quakes, the last lethal earthquake to hit the country was a 7.1-magnitude tremor that left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches when it struck the central islands in October 2013.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's quakes and volcanic eruptions occur.</s>MANILA, Philippines — A strong, shallow earthquake shook the central Philippines on Thursday, sending panicked residents running from their homes and schools, officials said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it expected some damage and aftershocks. Officials said they were verifying reports of damage to roads and buildings in a mountain town in Leyte province.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck Thursday afternoon and measured a preliminary 6.5 magnitude. It said it was centered near Masarayao in Leyte at a depth of 6.5 kilometers (4 miles). Shallow earthquakes generally cause more damage on the Earth’s surface.

Local residents reported strong shaking and said people fled from their houses, schools and buildings and some were knocked over.

Officials said the epicenter is in a mountainous area with small towns.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.</s>(File image for representation only) Cracks appear in and along a road near Quellon, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, after an earthquake. | AP

MANILA: A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled the central Philippines Thursday, US seismologists said, revising an earlier figure of 6.9.

The quake hit at a depth of around six kilometers (four miles), on the central island of Leyte, the US Geological Survey said.

There was no immediate warning of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Marlon Tano, a Leyte farmer and journalist, told AFP the quake knocked him off his feet at his eggplant farm in Borauen, a town near the quake's epicentre.

"It was so strong that I fell," Tano said.

"I saw buses and motorcyles stopping on the highway and people getting off them," he added.

Large parts of the island of Leyte were devastated by super typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

Huge tsunami-like waves smashed the city of Tacloban and nearby areas, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.

In February, a 6.5-magnitude quake killed eight people and left more than 250 injured outside the southern city of Surigao.

The following month a 5.9-magnitude tremor killed one person there in March.

Before the Surigao quakes, the last lethal earthquake to hit the country was a 7.1-magnitude tremor that left more than 220 people dead and destroyed historic churches when it struck the central islands in October 2013.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's quakes and volcanic eruptions occur.</s>The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the temblor at 4:03 p.m. with tectonic origin.

The areas which felt the earthquake at intensity five were Cebu City, Tacloban City and Palo (Leyte) and intensity four at Tolosa (Leyte) , Sagay City (Negros Occidental) and Burgos (Surigao Del Norte).

Quennie Sanchez Bronce, the reputation enhancement manager of Veco, said in an official statement that the earthquake in Leyte affected power generators in the area and likewise affected power supply transmitted to the Visayas; thus, the power interruptions being experienced within the VECO franchise at the moment.

VECO gets power from three power generators in Leyte — Green Core Geothermal, Aboitiz Energy Solutions and Vivant Energy Corp with a contracted capacity of 85.75 megawatts.

“We will wait for further developments from Leyte, and if the power supply will not stabilize, we will have to resort to rotational brownouts in the VECO franchise area,” Sanchez added.

Virgilio Fortich Jr., manager of Cebu Electric Cooperatives 3 (Cebeco 3), said that power interruptions were experienced in the towns of Asturias, Aloguinsan, Balamaban, Toledo City and Pinamungajan.

“Ni shutdown ang Toledo Power Company as part of their system and protection protocol. After 15 minutes, power resumed,” Fortich told CDN.

Intensity three was also recorded in Bogo City, northern Cebu and Calatrava (Negros Occidental).

According to Brigada News FM Bogo report, some barangays in Bogo City experienced power outage after the earthquake.

Libjo, Dinagat Islands experienced intensity two while intensity one was recorded in Roxas City (Capiz) and La Carlota City (Negros Occidental).
At least two are killed and power supply is interrupted in Eastern Visayas and Bohol when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hits the province of Leyte in the Philippines (InterAksyon)