Moderate quake hits Isabela

MANILA,Philippines—An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit the northern Philippines on Saturday, authorities reported.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 9:08pm (1308 GMT), a few kilometers northeast of Ilagan, the capital of Isabela province, a duty officer with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told AFP.

A civil defense official in Isabela told AFP there were no immediate reports of damage.

The US Geological Survey, which uses a different scale, said the quake had a magnitude of 5.3 and put its depth at 45 kms.