Tall & Urban News

A strong earthquake rocked large parts of the Philippine capital Manila and areas north of the city on Monday, April 22, 2019, killing at least eight, emptying buildings of tens of thousands who have just returned from the long Holy Week holiday, and shutting down rail lines and a key airport.

The United States Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 60 kilometers northwest of Manila at a depth of 40 kilometers.

The eight people were killed when two buildings and some houses collapsed in two towns in Pampanga province.

Dozens were rescued from the building in Porac. But at least 30 more were still trapped inside. GMA News reported that two of those who died were children.

Images and videos posted on social media showed tens of thousands of people fleeing office and residential buildings, and shopping malls across Metro Manila, a sprawling metropolis of 16 cities, home to over 12 million.

One video showed a skyscraper with mirror cladding swaying, as water cascaded down its sides, at Bonifacio Global City, a financial and commercial hub an hour’s drive east of Manila.

Another tall building in Manila that housed a technical school was seen leaning against an adjacent building.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from quake-prone Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

For more on this story visit the Straits Times.