Strong earthquake strikes western Philippines, capital Manila

A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted the western province of the Philippines and the capital, Manila, on Monday, but no major damage was reported so far, according to the state seismological institute.

The earthquake occurred at dawn on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, with its epicenter off the city of Lubang in Occidental Mindoro province, 76 km southwest of Manila.

The severity of the quake was mixed in the capital, Manila, and in the nearby provinces of Batangas and Cavite, as well as in Zambales province, which is 83 kilometers north of Lubang, according to the institute.

The institute added that more than 40 aftershocks have been recorded since the quake, the strongest of which was 4.4 on the Richter scale.

The Philippines is located in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur.

An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit the Philippines and killed more than 220 people in the center of the country in October 2013, the last strong earthquake to hit the country.

In July 1990, more than 2,400 people were killed on the northern island of Luzon by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the country.

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