3 dead in Philippines quake

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines Authorities confirmed the deaths of three victims after a strong earthquake rocked the southern Philippines late Friday. The Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion in Surigao City confirmed the fatalities, according to local media, but additional details on how the victims were killed were not reported. There was damages to buildings and residents ran out of their homes as the quake struck Surigao City at approximately 10 p.m. local time (1400GMT). The quake was also felt in other cities and towns in southern and central Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tremor hit at a depth of 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) and registered a magnitude-6.7, according to the United States Geological Survey. The Rappler online news portal reported that April Sanchez of the country’s Civil Defense Office said seven victims were injured outside Surigao City, adding that there is an undetermined number of casualties within the city. ABS-CBN news said the body of an 86-year-old man who was trapped under his collapsed house was found by rescuers hours after the quake toppled electricity lines that led to city-wide power outages. Among the buildings destroyed was the Surigao State College of Technology that had its façade collapse. A bridge also was on the verge of collapse that threatened motorists who dared to cross. Philippines is prone to earthquakes as it lies within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. In 2013, 222 victims were killed and centuries-old buildings churches were destroyed in a powerful magnitude-7.2 quake that struck the central province of Bohol.