One Person Dies, Homes Damaged as Quake Strikes Philippines

(Bloomberg) -- At least one person died when a powerful earthquake struck several provinces in central Philippines on Tuesday, prompting disaster-monitoring agency officials to warn residents against immediately returning to damaged structures.

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit about 5 kilometers southeast of Cataingan coastal town in Masbate province at a depth of about 21 kilometers at 8:03 a.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. Disaster-prone Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

A retired police officer died when he and his family were trapped when their house collapsed, while a female resident was injured in the town near the epicenter, the police said. A public market, a public attorney office, a seaport, a road, and houses of light materials were damaged, but there’s no threat of a tsunami, authorities said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.