A moderate earthquake shook two central provinces of the Philippines at dawn today, rousing residents from sleep but causing no injuries and only minor damage, officials said.
A moderate earthquake shook two central provinces of the Philippines at dawn today, rousing residents from sleep but causing no injuries and only minor damage, officials said.
The 5.0-magnitude quake, centered about 12 miles south-east of Catbalogan town in central Samar province, caused small cracks in at least one building in the town, officials said.
"People were awakened and ran out of their homes," said Luz Tacal, a social welfare officer in Catbalogan, about 330 miles south-east of Manila.
Tacal said small cracks appeared on the walls of their building.
The quake was triggered by a local fault in Samar. It was also felt in Tacloban city and another town in nearby Leyte province.
Robert Tiglao of the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology said he expects aftershocks.
The Philippine archipelago sits on at least four major faults and lies in the so-called Pacific "ring of fire" where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.
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