Philippine president visits quake-hit area where residents are sheltering abroad

Marcos pledges help for at least five dead and more than 130 injured The Philippines is vulnerable to earthquakes and typhoons

BANGKOK, Philippines (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos promised on Thursday to help rebuild homes destroyed by a powerful earthquake on Luzon island, as panicked residents camped out in parks and on sidewalks after hundreds of aftershocks shook the area.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the northern Philippine island on Wednesday morning, killing at least five people and injuring more than 130.

The quake also destroyed dozens of homes and other buildings, including centuries-old churches in the tourist town of Vigan.

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“For those affected and victims, let’s make sure we are ready to support them and give them everything they need,” Marcus told officials after being briefed during a damage inspection trip.

The ruins have been cleared from the streets of Vigan, known for their old Spanish colonial architecture, but shops, hotels and businesses remain closed.

Elma Sia, 52, who works in a restaurant, recalls the fear of being caught in such a powerful earthquake.

“Everything was moving, our panels were breaking and our lights were swaying. We were terrified,” she told Reuters.

“I could hear people screaming from a nearby McDonald’s, people rushed out of the plaza and started screaming in fear,” she said.

The quake, which hit an area close to the Marcos family’s political stronghold, also left a trail of devastation in the town of Banguid in Abra province, which was only 11 kilometers from the epicenter.

Emergency crews participate in rescue activities outside a building that collapsed during the earthquake, in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines, July 27, 2022. Public Information Service – Fire Protection Bureau/Handout via Reuters

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Residents camped with their families in shelters because they were too afraid to stay at home. Seismologists have recorded nearly 800 aftershocks since the main earthquake.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the island of Luzon, killing at least four and injuring 60, sending tremors across Manila and damaging buildings in a northern province. Map of earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher since 1900

“We were so scared,” Erlinda Pisaris told CNN Philippines. “We didn’t mind our belongings, we hurried outside. Life is more important.”

The Philippines is prone to natural disasters and is located in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a group of volcanoes and fault lines that circle the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes are frequent and there are an average of 20 hurricanes a year, some of which cause deadly landslides.

Public Works Minister Manuel Buonoan told DZPP Radio that his agency had begun clearing debris from main roads in Abra and other areas affected by rockslides during the earthquake.

The National Irrigation Administration said efforts to assess damage to the irrigation works had faltered because some roads had not yet been cleared of rocks.

Northern Luzon provinces are among the largest rice and vegetable growers in the country.

Some parts of Abra are still without electricity or water and are suffering from communications cuts, Ricardo Galad, director of the Civil Defense Office, told DZRH radio station.

The budget ministry said authorities were ready to release funds for disaster relief.

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(covering by Karen Lima and Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, and Adrian Portugal in Vigan) Editing by Ed Davies, Robert Percell

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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