At least 26 people were injured by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that rocked the northern Philippines, forcing the closure of an international airport, sending panicked residents into the streets and causing substantial damage to a hospital.
The earthquake, which struck at about 10:59pm on Tuesday (14:59 GMT) near the upland town of Dolores, was felt as far away as the capital Manila, more than 330km (205 miles) to the south.
Police and civil aviation officials said that at least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where the international airport in the capital city of Laoag was ordered to close temporarily on Wednesday due to damage from the earthquake.
The president – also known as Bongbong – warned of aftershocks on Wednesday and advised people, in a tweet, to stay out of tall structures.
As aftershocks continue, we remain in coordination with DPWH for the inspection of roads and buildings, DSWD for relief, DOE for outages and DILG for monitoring.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) October 26, 2022
Everyone is advised to keep out of tall structures.
Agridam ken agananadtayo, kakailian. Umaykamin a tumulong. https://t.co/akf8YkJOcW
Patients were evacuated from the 200-bed Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital in Batac city, about 60km (37 miles) north of the epicentre, which sustained some of the worst reported damage so far.
At least two towns in Cagayan province temporarily lost electricity due to damaged power lines. A number of bridges and roads in outlying provinces were damaged.
In the town of La Paz in Abra, a century-old Christian church was damaged, with parts of its belfry collapsing and some walls cracked, littering the church’s grassy yard with debris, officials said.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.5 – 11 km ENE of Dolores, Philippines https://t.co/q9auPOPbUW
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) October 25, 2022
A member of the public in Aparri municipality, located more than 100km (62 miles) from the epicentre, posted on the website of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) that it was the most extensive tremor they had experienced.
“The longest earthquake I’ve ever felt. Thank God we’re safe. Stay safe everyone,” the post read.