8 dead, several injured as back-to-back earthquakes hit Philippines
5501 Min Read
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Batanes archipelago, the US Geological Survey reported. About 20 minutes later, a second quake hit the same area near Itbayat at a magnitude of 4.5.
Eight people were killed after back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern Philippines Saturday morning, according to CNN Philippines, citing a disaster official.
Roldan Escudil, Batanes provincial disaster risk reduction and management council chief, provided early details about the quakes in a radio interview.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The first quake killed five people while three people were killed in aftershocks, Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the disaster agency, told Reuters.
The national disaster agency said it was sending medical and rescue teams to the islands, about half way between the main Philippine island of Luzon and Taiwan.
The military was also deploying an aircraft to send supplies and bring out injured, he said.
Gato said she was standing outside in an open space with more than 1,000 people.
“New houses were damaged and the old houses which we were preserving were completely destroyed,” she said, referring to traditional stone homes.
