4 killed as major 6.4-magnitude quake hits Philippines

At least four people including a child have been killed and more than two dozen people injured after a powerful earthquake in the south of the Philippines.

Residents ran from their homes and offices in panic and a shopping centre was set ablaze during the intense shaking in central Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island.

Authorities advised residents to stay out of homes that may have suffered cracks and been weakened.

The quake, which measured 6.4, also caused power cuts and strong aftershocks in some regions.

“Our hospital chief reported that a child died because of the earthquake,” Reuel Limbungan, mayor of Tulunan town in North Cotabato province, told a radio station.

In a town in the nearby province of Davao del Sur, 20 people were injured by falling debris and home furniture, Anthony Allada, an information officer, told DZMM radio.

“Many houses were totally damaged ... Another person is in a critical condition,” he said.
Footage showed firefighters tackling a fierce blaze that wrecked a shopping centre in General Santos City.

The US Geological Survey said the quake, described as strong and shallow, had a depth of only eight miles. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones.

The quake, on Wednesday evening, was centred on Cotabato, about five miles from Columbio, which has a population of 33,258 people, and 42 miles southwest of Davao, one of the most populous cities in the country and the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Source:  Agenices

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