Earthquake in central Philippines: 6.1 magnitude earthquake; no casualty reported

The Masbate education department reportedly suspended classes for Thursday due to “continuous aftershocks being felt” in the province, the report said. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the Masbate region of the central Philippines on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). However, no tsunami warning has been issued and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Earthquake in central Philippines: 6.1 magnitude earthquake; no casualty reported.

The USGS said the epicentre was 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the nearest village of Miaga, in Uson municipality, on the province’s main island of Masbate. The strong and shallow quake happened after 2:00 am local time, jolting people awake. The Masbate education department reportedly suspended classes for Thursday due to “continuous aftershocks being felt” in the province, the report said.

“It was a bit strong,” Masbate provincial police chief Rolly Albana. “I was sleeping when we were shaken and woken up,” Rolly Albana added. Albana said police had not reported any effects of the quake. Uson police chief Captain Reden Tolledo told some residents fled their homes. “Even I went outside because of possible aftershocks,” Tolledo said.

Gregorio Adigue, a disaster officer in the Dimasalang municipality, said he felt a strong aftershock nearly an hour after the quake. But buildings and other structures in the area did not appear to be damaged, he said.

“Later we will go around schools in each village to inspect their buildings,” Adigue said. Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic as well as volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The last major quake was in October in the northern Philippines. The 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the mountain town of Dolores in Abra province, injuring several people, damaging buildings and cutting power to most of the region. A 7.0-magnitude quake in mountainous Abra last July triggered landslides and ground fissures, killing 11 people and injuring several hundred.

Philippines is the fourth latest country to be hit by a massive earthquake in a span of ten days. An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale struck flood-hit New Zealand on Wednesday. On February 6, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake jolted Turkey and Syria, killing more than 40,000 people and leaving several people homeless in the freezing temperatures.

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