Earthquake of 7 magnitude strikes Philippines; no tsunami threat

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter Scale hit the Philippines at 12:23 UTC (5:53 pm IST) today, USGC Earthquakes reported.

The quake occurred at a depth of 122 km and the epicentre was 210 km South East of Pondaguitan. 

Police chief Captain Glabynarry Murillo told AFP that residents in Jose Abad Santos town near the southern tip of the island lost electricity for close to 15 minutes after the quake shook the region. However, no damage was reported. 

“From our vantage point at the police station we saw many residents rushing outside. We also rushed outside because the police station is a three-storey building,” Murillo said. 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned of aftershocks. 

“It was felt extensively because it’s a major earthquake but it’s deep so it won’t be damaging to the infrastructure because it’s considerably far (from the island),” Renato Solidum, director of the institute, told DZBB radio station.