Earthquake of 6.3 magnitude strikes central Philippines - USGS

Manila: Residents in northern Philippines have been rattled by numerous aftershocks — 491 as of last count by government geologists on Tuesday — following a deadly quake on Monday that killed at least 16 people.

Officials reported extensive damage — collapsed buildings, an airport shut down, vehicles crushed by debris.

At least 23 schools and universities in Manila and surrounding provinces affected by the temblor suspended classes on Tuesday.

The 6.3 Magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines' main island of Luzon at 5.11pm on Monday, following by hundreds of aftershocks recorded in the area Zambales and the rest of Central Luzon.

However, another powerful quake with a magnitude of 4.7 rocked the waters off Batangas, south of Manila, early on Tuesday (around 1am Manila time).

The 6.3 Magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines' main island of Luzon at 5.11pm on Monday, following by hundreds of aftershocks recorded in the area Zambales and the rest of Central Luzon.

However, another powerful quake with a magnitude of 4.7 rocked the waters off Batangas, south of Manila, early on Tuesday (around 1am Manila time).

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) did not issue a tsunami warning.

Officials from Phivolcs’ Seismology Department clarified that the Batangas earthquake was not connected to the magnitude 6.3 tremor that struck Castillejos in Zambales, which affected different areas in Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Extensive damage

There was no immediate report of the extent of damage, but there were reports of roads, buildings and bridges collapsing. Up to 40 shoppers were reportedly trapped in the rubble of a collapsed commercial building.

Local news website Rappler shared pictures on Twitter showing severe damage sustained by the Clark International Airport.

The quake was centred on the town of Castillejos, about 140 kilometres northwest of Manila, local geologists said.

Scientists from the US Geological Survey logged its magnitude at 6.3, and said its epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 miles) below the Earth's surface.

Local experts gave the quake's intensity at a slightly lower 6.1 magnitude.

Tweeps shared pictures of collapsed structures. One of the victims was retrieved alive from a collapsed supermarket in Porac, Pampanga, north of Manila -- but had to have one leg amputated.

It was not immediately clear how extensive was the damage as the quake shook Luzon shortly before nightfall.

A college building in Manila was shown leaning against another neighbouring building after the temblor. 

It was not immediately clear how extensive was the damage to structures as the quake shook Luzon shortly before nightfall.

Social media posts, however, show some cracks in some buildings. A college building in Manila was also shown leaning against another neighbouring building after the temblor.

8 people reported killed

At least 8 people died after a powerful earthquake struck central Philippines on Monday, shaking buildings, cracking walls and sending thousands scurrying out to open fields.

A local official reported at least three bodies were pulled out of a collapsed building in Porac, a town about an hour by car north of Manila.

An old woman and her grandchild were crushed to death by another building in the town of Lubao, provincial governor Lilia Pineda told local TV station ABS-CBN.

"The quake has caused a blackout," she said, hampering rescue efforts in the early evening as night closed in.

The quake struck 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the Philippine capital at a depth of 40 km (25 miles).

Some local officials reported damage to a church in northern Pampanga province, adding that boulders rolled down a mountain, blocking a highway.

Office workers piled out onto the streets as emergency alarms blared, AFP reporters , but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Feliza Villanueva, 21, a business process outsourcing employee told AFP she and four colleagues were at work when the quake struck.

"This was the second strongest quake I've felt in my entire life," she told AFP as she joined hundreds of others in the courtyard of an office building, waiting for the all clear.

"We were worried but we did not panic," she said.

"We planned how to evacuate the building. There were too many people going down the stairs, so we waited for our turn. People looked in shock, but no one was shouting or anything like that," she said.

A Reuters witness in the capital, Manila, said offices were swaying in the business district of Makati City.

"The scariest thing ever!" posted one tweep using the @officialdjmagik who said he was the 35th floor of a building when the temblor struck.

The quake was centred on the town of Castillejos, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Manila, local geologists said.  

Operations of the light rail system in Manila was suspended as the temblor shook a huge swathe of the Luzon main island.

The Philippine News Agency quoted local volcanologists as saying the quake's magnitude was measured at 5.7.

Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology chief Renato Solidum says the quake, which was caused by movement of a local fault, was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami or cause widespread damage.The quake struck 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Manila at a depth of 40 km (25 miles).

Thousands evacuated their offices in Manila.

Local media reported that the glass door of a fast-food restaurant at SM Pampanga and a portion of the floor at SM Olongapo were damaged due to the quake that jolted parts of Luzon on Monday afternoon.

The electricity supply in the City of San Fernando was reportedly cut off as a preemptive measure. People were also seen rushing outside the malls in Pampanga and Olongapo City.

An its initial earthquake bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the earthquake was of tectonic origin had a depth of 21 kilometers.

Intensity 5 was felt in San Felipe, Zambales, and Quezon City. The tremor was also felt in Baguio City, Pampanga, and Bataan.  

Dani Justo, a martial arts instructor, told AFP she was at her Manila home when the quake struck.

"The clothes hanging on our line were really swaying. My shih tzu (dog) dropped flat on the ground," she added.

The Philippines is on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a horse-shoe shaped band of volcanoes and fault lines circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean.