At 4:28pm on Friday the 13th, Luzon, the largest of the islands that make up the Philippines, was hit by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that could felt for miles around. The origin of the quake was said to be in a town called Burdeos in Quezon, a province located in the southern part of Luzon.
The director of Phivolcs, Renato Solidum, said, in an interview that can be seen below, that no damages or casualties have been reported due to the temblor.
The earthquake was followed by aftershocks that were felt after 5 pm.
According to national news and television station ABS-CBN, the earthquake was felt through the following areas.
The quake was felt at instrumental intensity in these areas:
In some areas of Metro Manila, schools, as well as office buildings and even some residential buildings were evacuated. As news outlets, government officials and universities took to Twitter to spread awareness, disseminate information and give proper guidance.
LOOK: Benilde announces emergency evacuation in all three campuses as an earthquake hit Manila, which was traced 40 kilometers off the coast of Burdeos Quezon.
Photos by Ricardo Yan II, Fritz Reyes, and Kel Santos pic.twitter.com/36p2Rx2yyI— The Benildean (@TheBenildean) September 13, 2019
Employees of Landbank of the Philippines evacuate their offices in Manila after an earthquake on Friday. pic.twitter.com/3IHAYwwRl8 — The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) September 13, 2019
Local train services were also temporarily suspended due to the quake. They soon resumed, only to be suspended yet again due to aftershocks. The aftershocks were measured at a 4.7 magnitude, yet were classified as only aftershocks due to the close proximity of time.
According to records this is the 26th earthquake to hit the Philippines since 2001 and the third this year, with the previous two temblors coming only a day apart on April 22 and April 23.
