Strong magnitude-5.7 earthquake jolts Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook Pangasinan early Sunday morning but no immediate reports of injuries or damage were reported, officials said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), in a bulletin, said the earthquake jolted western Pangasinan towns at 3:40 a.m. Its epicenter was 43 kilometers (km) deep in the West Philippine Sea, about 58 km northwest of Bolinao town.

Phivolcs classifies a magnitude 5 quake as “Strong,” which is “generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many sleeping people are awakened. Some are frightened, some run outdoors.”

It creates strong shaking and rocking throughout buildings. Hanging objects swing violently. Dining utensils clatter and clink, possibly causing some to break. Small, light and unstable objects may fall or overturn. Liquids spill from filled open containers. Standing vehicles rock noticeably. Shaking of leaves and twigs of trees are noticeable.

Dian Lovemore Carranza, head of the Bolinao disaster risk reduction and management office (DRRMO), said no earthquake-related casualty or damage was reported in the town.

“We have already gone around the town to inspect and no structure was damaged,” Carranza said by telephone.

Avenix Arenas, Pangasinan DRRMO spokesperson, said no injuries and damage were reported so far from other towns or cities in the province.

Phivolcs said the quake was felt in Bolinao at Intensity IV; in Dagupan City at Intensity III; in Baguio City, San Clemente town in Tarlac province, and Angeles and Mabalacat cities in Pampanga province at Intensity II; and in Metro Manila at Intensity I. CB