On Wednesday morning, at about 8:40 am, residents of the Philippines had to go through a major earthquake jolting the northern part of their country. The event was powerful enough to result in hundreds of destroyed buildings, landslides, power interruptions, at least four dead residents, and more, according to The Washington Post. The jolt reached a 7.3 magnitude.
Dozens of people living in the Philippines also got injured in the aftermath of the jolt, which was felt across 15 cities and hundreds of towns. Capital Manila is also among those cities. The province of Abra was mainly affected.
There is plenty of footage available that shows the impact of the earthquake, thanks to Guardian News:
Not even churches could be sparred by nature’s wrath, as some of them were also affected by the jolt.
Michael Brillantes, who is a safety officer, stated as npr.org quotes:
The ground shook like I was on a swing and the lights suddenly went out. We rushed out of the office, and I heard screams and some of my companions were in tears.
He also told The Associated Press by phone, as the same source quotes:
It was the most powerful quake I’ve felt and I thought the ground would open up.
The earthquake also had a depth of about 6 miles.
Any earthquake that reaches at least 7.3 magnitudes is considered a very strong jolt. It can cause considerable damage in the case of poorly built structures or that are badly designed.
Back in 2020, over 109 million people were living in the Philippines. The country consists of over 7,600 islands that are generally categorized by three main divisions. From north to south, they are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The Philippines is also a pretty big country in Asia, as it covers an area of 300,000 square kilometers. That’s almost the same size as Italy.