Series of quakes hit Philippines; no casualties

Manila, Jul 12: Philippines was hit by a series of earthquakes ranging from 5 to 6.2 on the Richter scale on Tuesday. The series of quakes hit Negros Occidental province in the Philippines and occurred at a depth of 33.9 km from the surface level. The shudders were felt at 6.49 am local time.

According to the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the quake struck in the Sulu Sea 93 kilometres south-west of Dumaguete City, that is one of the major cities on Negros.

No casualties or major damages were reported with authorities affirming that no tsunami warning has been issued. Quoting Nazario Caro, a duty officer of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council from the island of Panay, “We did not issue any tsunami alert. We have checked the nearby areas and we did not get any reports of damage or casualties."

The strongest among the string of quakes was believed to have struck at 4:47 am on Tuesday. Two subsequent tremors were felt after 5am of 5.5 and 5.7 magnitude respectively. Philippines have always been subject to frequent quakes since the country sits under the Pacific Ring of Fire making it prone to volcanoes and other natural catastrophes.

OneIndia News