(Photos by Nestor Corrales / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines – Employees and guests at the Malacañang Palace complex were evacuated Thursday afternoon after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolted Zambales, likewise felt in parts of Metro Manila.
A Palace staff carries her beloved cat during the earthquake evacuation. Photo courtesy of Nestor Corrales
In a dash to safety, employees and guests ran out of the building, wearing hard hats and carrying “go-bags.” Amid the evacuation, one Palace worker rushed to safety carrying a cat securely, the heartwarming moment of an unbreakable bond between a fur parent and pet captured by a journalist in a snapshot shared with INQUIRER.net.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the earthquake struck off Palauig, Zambales, at 3:16 p.m.
It was measured at Intensity III in Quezon City and Instrumental Intensity III in Botolan, Iba, Cabangan, and San Marcelino in Zambales, said state seismologists.
Phivolcs said that no damage or aftershocks are expected.