At least one dead in a powerful earthquake in the Philippines

The earth shook violently in the Philippines. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the center of the country on Tuesday, killing at least one and damaging buildings and roads. The earthquake occurred at 8:03 am (2:03 am in France) 68 kilometers from the town of Masbate, on the eponymous island, and 10 km below the earth's surface, said the American center of geology USGS.

Many damaged houses

"It was very strong" and "there are a lot of damaged houses," said Antonio Clemente, Staff Sergeant of Cataingan, a town of about 50,000 people several kilometers from the epicenter in the Sea of ​​Samar. Christopher Decamon, a reporter for a local radio station, said he saw rescuers remove the body of a man from the rubble of a three-story house on the outskirts of Cataingan while his wife managed to escape unharmed. Police confirmed the death. So far, no other casualties are to be deplored but search and rescue operations were still underway on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, these photos were taken at Brgy. Quezon in Uson, Masbate following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake. #EarthquakePH pic.twitter.com/8aDzLnzpdx

In the nearby town of Palanas, police chief Alvin Guerina said several patients, including a woman about to give birth, had been evacuated from the hospital as a preventive measure in case there were any replicas. At least 14 aftershocks have been recorded by the Philippine Seismological Bureau, the strongest being a magnitude of 3.5. A video posted on Facebook shows slight damage to a food market in Cataingan. It shows, in particular, overturned seals and small fish scattered on the ground as pieces of cement fell from a pillar. People stand outside the market.

A cracked road

Philippine Red Cross President Richard Gordon tweeted photos taken by his colleagues showing buildings in Cataingan in which corrugated iron roofs have collapsed. Other photos taken in the nearby town of Uson show a largely cracked asphalt road. The quake was felt hundreds of kilometers from the very poor island of Masbate. In the town of Iloilo, located about 400 kilometers southwest of Masbate in the neighboring region of the Visayas Islands, panicked residents took to the streets.

The Philippines lies on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', where tectonic plate collisions cause frequent earthquakes and significant volcanic activity. In December, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the southern island of Mindanao, killing at least three people, injuring dozens and damaging buildings.

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20 Minutes with AFP