Nighttime Philippines quake kills at least 6, damages runway
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A powerful nighttime earthquake in the southern Philippines killed at least six people and injured more than 120 others, as officials on Saturday combed through cracked buildings looking for more casualties.
The late Friday quake with a magnitude of 6.5 roused residents from sleep in Surigao del Norte province, sending hundreds to flee their homes. The quake was centered about 14 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of the provincial capital of Surigao at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), said Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology.
Nearly 100 aftershocks have been felt, officials said. Evacuation centers accommodated wary residents overnight but many have returned home by Saturday, Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said, adding officials were continuing to assess the damage in Surigao city and outlying towns. Solidum said the quake was set off by movement in a segment of the Philippine fault, which sits in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where quakes and volcanoes are common. At least six people were killed, some after being hit by falling debris and concrete walls, provincial disaster-response official Gilbert Gonzales said. At least 126 others were injured in Surigao city, about 700 kilometers (430 miles) southeast of Manila.
