Central Luzon spared from major earthquake damage

The July 27 Abra earthquake epicenter located at 17.53°N, 120.68°E – 004 km S 78° W of Bucay (Abra) | PHOTO: PHIVOLCS via Twitter @phivolcs_dost

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—Central Luzon provinces incurred minimal damage from the magnitude 7 earthquake on July 27 that struck Abra province and other parts of northern Luzon, a report from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Thursday showed.

Intensities 1 to 5 were felt in parts of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales, but the temblor caused no damage to the Angat, Bustos, Ipo, and Pantabangan dams as well as roads and bridges.

In Nueva Ecija, the disaster management council said it saw minor cracks in a facility inside the Philippine Army camp of Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City.

The San Anton tank of the Pamana Water District in San Leonardo town collapsed, while three others were damaged.

In Tarlac, minor cracks were reported in a supermarket in Paniqui town and a public elementary school in Bamban.

Central Luzon experienced major earthquakes in recent decades.

The July 16,1990 earthquake, recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology at a magnitude of 7.8, had its epicenter near Rizal town in Nueva Ecija and was a precursor to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo last June 15, 1991.

The 6.1-magnitude of the April 22, 2019 earthquake had its epicenter east of Castillejos town in Zambales. INQ

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