One Dead, Dozens Injured As 6.

6 Magnitude Quake Hits Philippines

There are so many things happening in our world that it’s hard to keep up with everything
that goes on. One thing that may know about a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit Cataingan,
Masbate on Tuesday morning, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS). Lots of people aresurprised about that it hits in Cataigan, Masbate.
At least one person was killed and dozens injured when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake shook
the central Philippines on August 18, 2020, sending residents fleeing their homes and
damaging buildings and roads. They happen all of a sudden and cause a great many finances
in reconstruction.

The shallow quake struck southeast of Masbate Island in the Bicol region at 8:03 am (0003
GMT), the US Geological Survey said. "There are a lot of damaged houses," said Staff
Sergeant Antonio Clemente in Cataingan, a town of about 50,000 people on the
impoverished island several kilometres west of the epicentre in the Samar Sea. "It was
really strong. "Local radio station reporter Christopher Decamon said he saw emergency
workers pull the body of a man from the rubble of a three-storey house on the outskirts of
Cataingan. The man's wife escaped unharmed.

The earthquake "was really strong. Our people were broadcasting at the time but they just
ran out of the building," Decamon told AFP by telephone. Police confirmed the man's death
and said 18 people were also injured in the town. But mayor Felipe Cabatana told CNN
Philippines about 48 were hurt, most of them hit by falling shelves and furniture inside their
homes."I thought it was the end of the world," said Cabatana referring to the quake's
strength. In nearby Palanas, at least 27 people were injured after being hit by falling objects
or when their motorbikes crashed as the ground moved in the town, Chris Adique, a
municipal disaster officer, told DZBB radio. None were in a critical condition, he added.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway in the region.The quake struck as the
archipelago battles surging numbers of coronavirus infections, with more than 169,000
cases and restrictions on movement that vary across the country.A lockdown affecting a
quarter of the population, including the capital Manila, will be eased Wednesday.Cabatana
said between 5,000 and 6,000 people would spend the night sleeping outside in Cataingan
because emergency shelters were being used as COVID-19 quarantine centres, some of
which were also damaged in the quake. "Our most urgent concern is temporary shelter
because our funds have run out having been allocated for COVID," he said. The government
said help would be made available. "These natural disasters are a part of our lives and we
always recover," said Harry Roque, spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte. "People
should not worry about getting relief assistance. They will be provided." Dozens of
aftershocks have rocked the region.

The Philippines is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that
stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.