Three earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 5.0 to 5.9 have struck the Phillippines Batangas province, an area south of the countries capital. The quakes registered at 3 p.m. local time in the coastal city, causing hundreds to flee for higher ground in the fears a tsunami may be on its way.
“Residents in the coastal villages in two towns have evacuated to safer ground after the earthquakes,” Lito Castro, head of the provincial disaster council, told local radio. “The people were afraid the earthquakes would generate a tsunami.”
The Philippines is located in ‘The Ring of Fire,’ where about 90-percent of the world’s earthquakes take place. In 2013 a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed 221 people in the Philippines.
Scenes of people flooding the streets, evacuating schools, shopping malls, and hospitals are being reported by locals. The quakes could be felt as far as the Philippine capital of Manila.
Meanwhile, the Twitter account associated with the student magazine of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in the area, posted video of people evacuating after the quakes struck.
https://twitter.com/TheBenildean/status/850616386028158977/video/1
There are no reports of casualties at this time, but authorities have issued a landslide warning and some residents have reported damaged homes and loss of power.
(Via New York Times)