multiple quakes strike batanes

A road in Itbayat, Batanes, is littered with debris after multiple quakes struck the northern Luzon province early Saturday. (Steve Labrador)

July 27th, 9:18am July 27th, 10:09am Agence France-PresseAgence France-Presse is an international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835, AFP is the third largest news agency in the world, after the Associated Press and Reuters.

Earthquakes struck Itbayat, Batanes early Saturday, with initial reports of seven deaths and damage to properties, including a decades-old church.

The strongest among the recorded tremors were of magnitude 5.4 at 4:16 a.m. and 5.9 at 7:38 a.m. Aftershocks were still being recorded as of posting time.

As of 9 a.m. in a radio interview, Itbayat Mayor Raul De Sagon confirmed seven have died and the province has no power supply.

Itbayat, with a population of about 3,000, is the country’s northernmost municipality.

Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco said Basco suffered lesser damage.

The earthquakes struck just as the Metro Manila Development Authority was conducting earthquake drills in various parts of the National Capital Region.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from quake-prone Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.