Leyte quake: Kananga town building collapses; 10 injured, many trapped

A low-rise building in Kananga, Leyte collapsed after a strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake jolted the Visayas Thursday.
(Contributed photos by Queene Joy Reforzado)

At least 10 people were injured and several others trapped when a commercial building in Kananga town collapsed following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that rattled  Leyte on Thursday afternoon.

Vice Mayor Elmer Codilla of Kananga told DZMM that the  building was a pension house, adding that rescue operations were ongoing.

Codilla said he wasn’t aware how many people were in the building, which had a grocery store and a beauty parlor on the ground floor. Police said it had two floors.

Villagers reported strong shaking and said people fled from buildings and schools and some were knocked over.

Asked about the earthquake, President Rodrigo Duterte, who was visiting southern Bukidnon province, said he has not received any reports of major damage.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.