Strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti: USGS

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, prompting a tsunami alert and damaging buildings in the west of the disaster-plagued Caribbean nation.

The epicenter of the quake was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) by road from central Port-au-Prince, the densely populated capital.

The long shock was felt in neighboring countries. 

The quake damaged schools as well as homes on Haiti's southwestern peninsula, according to images from witnesses.

Residents shared images on social media of the ruins of concrete buildings, including a church in which a ceremony was apparently underway on Saturday in the southwestern town of Les Anglais.

The USGS said waves of up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) were possible along the coastline of Haiti.

A magnitude-7.0 quake in January 2010 transformed much of Port-au-Prince and nearby cities into dusty ruins, killing more than 200,000 and injuring some 300,000 others.

More than a million and a half Haitians were made homeless, leaving island authorities and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge in a country lacking either a land registry or building codes.

Agence France-Presse

Quake destroys Cebu, Bohol historical, tourist sites

MANILA, Philippines -- The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Visayas including Bohol and Cebu destroyed centuries worth of history and valuable tourism assets.

In Bohol, the quake left portions of the Loon and Loboc Churches in rubble. Local officials said it would take time to rebuild.

"Loboc Church is a 17th century church which is a major tourism draw," Rep. Arthur Yap of Bohol's third district, where the church is located, told InterAksyon.com.

In a separate interview, Cebu Representative Ace Durano said the churches of Bohol are very much part of the heritage of Boholanos.

"This reflects the Boholanos' deep appreciation of their cultural assets and reflects their deep religiosity. The fact that these churches are very much part of the lives of the Boholanos render them valuable tourism assets," Durano, former secretary of the Department of Tourism, said.

The Church of San Pedro in Loboc, the second oldest church in Bohol, was built in 1602 but was damaged by fire. In 1638, a more sturdy structure was built, according to the website www.bohol.ph. As it was located near the river, it has survived a number of floods, but remained standing.

The church features paintings on the ceiling, and a Spanish coat of arms can be found in the stone wall near the entrance of the convent. Its bell tower is about 100 meters from the church. Attached to the structure is a three-story convent, which houses the Museo de Loboc on the third floor. The museum keeps old statues of saints and some religious artifacts.

The church is also famous for the Loboc Children's Choir, a school-based chorale of school children from the Loboc Central Elementary School. Founded in 1980, the choir has held concerts all over the country and abroad, and has won several awards.

The Church of Our Lady of Light in Loon, the biggest church in Bohol, was built during the term of Fray Manuel de Elizalde in 1753. The building has two octagonal bell towers, and is fully symmetric. From Loon Church is a long stairway of 174 stone steps connecting it to Napo, the former seat of the town.

The other old churches in Bohol are the Baclayon Church and Dauis Church--both of which were also damaged by the quakes--and Maribojoc Church and Panglao Church.

Unfortunately, according to Australian experts, these beautiful historic churches in Bohol and Cebu were obviously not built to withstand a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

In Cebu City, the Basilica Del Sto Nino also was not spared as its belfry crumbled during the quake while the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral also sustained damage.

source: interaksyon.com

Strong 6.2 quake rocks Russia near North Korea border

WASHINGTON - A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck early Saturday in eastern Russia near the border with China and North Korea, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 1300 GMT Friday, was southwest of Vladivostok, around nine kilometers (five miles) from the Russian border town of Zarubino, at a depth of 561 kilometers (350 miles), the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which struck seconds after 12 a.m. Saturday local time.

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Russia's far east last month, and a 6.9 quake rocked the region in February. Neither caused significant damage.

An underground formation in the area known as the Kuril-Kamchatka arc is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

Since 1900, seven powerful earthquakes of magnitude 8.3 or greater have occurred along the arc, according to the USGS.

source: interaksyon.com

Quake near Philippines prompts evacuation

Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- A 7.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Philippines has prompted a tsunami alert, warnings of structural damage and an urgent call for people to move to higher ground.

"People in threatened coastal areas are strongly advised to immediately evacuate," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said late Friday.

"Boats at sea are advised to stay in the deeper parts of the open seas until the threat has passed. If there is sufficient time, boats in harbors and enclosed bays are advised to go to the deeper parts of the open seas until the threat has passed."

The quake, which was about 20 miles deep, struck just before 8:50 p.m., authorities said. Its center was about 65 miles southeast of the coastal town of Guiuan, in the Philippine province of Eastern Samar.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of the Philippines and Indonesia, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said the quake had a magnitude of 7.9 but later revised that figure.

A tsunami watch was in effect for the Marshall Islands, Wake Island, Solomon Islands, several other Pacific islands and parts of Russia, the center said. Authorities did not immediately know whether the earthquake actually had generated a tsunami.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the tsunami warning center said.

The Philippines coastal areas of Northern Smar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur fall under the tsunami alert.

Aimee Menguilla, information officer of Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the agency has advised regional authorities to alert citizens about possible tsunami waves.

"This is not new to us," she said. "We do regular tsunami exercises." But people need to be "particularly alert" because the earthquake occurred at night.

She said the quake was centered in the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean and was felt in the country's east. There have been no reports, she said, of damage or injuries.

Paul Daza, governor of Northern Samar, said officials are informing citizens of evacuation and "everyone is cooperating."

"Most of our towns are at risk of the possible tsunami," he said. "There are emergency plans if needed, but hopefully there will be no tsunami."

Marie Elairon, working at the front desk at Hotel Dona Vicenta in Borongan, Eastern Samar, said some people are headed to mountainous areas and others have taken shelter in a church.

"There is no panic right now," she said, "but we are being safe and still evacuating."

Dan Molina, a hotel employee in Guiuan, said, "We are advised to go up," referring to higher ground.

Ed Serrano, the head of security at the Marco Polo Hotel in the city of Davao, about 250 miles south of Guiuan, said he felt the ground shake.

"The quake was very strong and the hotel guests were panicking. Most of them went outside," he said. "But now, the situation is under control and we are waiting for official reports on how strong the quake was."

Witnesses in the east said they were seeing four-foot waves.

An initial tsunami warning issued for Japan, Taiwan and several Pacific islands was lifted.

source: CNN

Magnitude-5.9 earthquake strikes near Bologna, Italy

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Bologna, Italy, on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake, which initially registered at magnitude 6.3, was centered 22 miles (35 km) north-northwest of Bologna in northern Italy at a relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles (10 km), the USGS said.





The last major earthquake to hit Italy was a 6.3 magnitude quake in the central Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing nearly 300 people.

In January, a 5.3-magnitude quake in northern Italy was felt in Genoa, Bologna, Turin and Italy's financial capital, Milan. — Reuters

article source: gmanetwork.com