A 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the northern Philippines late Tuesday night injured at least 26 people and damaged buildings, the military said on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Elmar Salvador, the spokesperson of the military’s northern command, said the injured are from the Ilocos Norte and Abra provinces on the main Luzon island.
He said no one died but the earthquake damaged several houses, century-old churches, school buildings and hospitals.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially reported the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7. It hit at 22:59 local time (1459 GMT) at a depth of 28 km, about 7 km northwest of Tineg town in Abra province on Luzon.
The institute then lowered the quake’s magnitude to 6.4 a few hours later, adding it struck at a depth of 13 km, about 7 km northeast of Lagayan town in Abra province.
The institute said it recorded over 400 aftershocks since the major quake.
The impact of the tremor was felt in several areas, including the capital Manila region. According to local reports, people who were asleep or about to sleep rushed out of their shaking houses.
In July, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake also jolted Abra province, killing at least four people, injuring over 130 others, and triggering landslides and damaging buildings.
The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
