Major quake shakes Manila

2004-10-08 18:47

Manila - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 shook Manila on Friday night, sending high rises swaying, knocking out power to some areas and sending frightened residents into the streets. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The violent shaking from side to side began at 22:35 and appeared to last well over a minute. With an epicenter on Mindoro island, 89km south-southwest of Manila, it was felt over a wide area, including nearly 150km north of the sprawling capital on the main Philippine island of Luzon.

The US Geological Survey in Boulder, Colorado, said on its Web site that the magnitude was 6.4 at a depth of 118.2km.

Panicked residents and hotel guests poured into the streets. Police were easing traffic away from a condemned building in Manila that was cracking and dropping debris. Utility company Meralco reported widespread brief power outages, possibly due to damage to power lines.

The Philippines is along the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. A 6.2 magnitude island shook the Manila and surrounding areas of Luzon three weeks ago, and the Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology said Friday's quake was believed to be in the same fault line, along the Manila Trench.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1990 killed nearly 2 000 people on Luzon.

- AP