Moderate quake rattles Philippines, no damages

Manila, Mar 28: A moderate earthquake jolted the northern Philippines today with lesser tremors felt in other parts of the country, but there was no immediate word of casualties or damage, officials said.

The 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the northern island of Mindoro just before 0800 hrs (0530 hrs IST), with the epicentre near the town of San Jose in Mindoro Occidental.

''There were no immediate reports of any damage,'' said a spokesman for the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, but added that there was a risk of aftershocks.

Earthquakes occur frequently in the Philippines, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific Basin.

Early this month, a 5.0 magnitude tremor shook nearby Lubang island. In July 1990, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale killed 1,600 on the main island of Luzon.

REUTERS