PDRRMO: 10 reported injured in magnitude-6.4 Abra earthquake

At least 10 people were reported injured in the magnitude-6.4 quake that hit Abra on Tuesday evening, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) said Wednesday.

“So far, meron tayong anim na individuals na injured sa Lagayan, isa sa San Quintin, at tatlo po sa San Juan,” PDRRMO officer-in-charge Arnel Valdez said in an interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB.

(So far, we have six injured individuals in Lagayan, one in San Quintin, and three in San Juan.)

Valdez said that some of them were injured when debris fell on them during the earthquake.

Some churches and structures of municipal halls were also affected by the earthquake, Valdez said, adding that the old church in Lapaza was already cordoned off. 

Classes and government work schedules have been suspended due to the effects of the earthquake.

Also, landslides were reported along Abra-Kalinga road, Abra-Ilocos Norte road as well as in Tubo, Abra -- all these incidents took place in far-flung areas.

According to Valdez, some of the affected residents temporarily camping out  in front of their homes using tents provided to them on Tuesday evening.

Moreover, the water systems in some areas were also damaged, he added.

In a separate interview, Philippine Independent Church parish priest Father Christian Edward Abao said the belfry of their chapel collapsed due to the earthquake.

“Initially po nung July 27, yung unang earthquake dito po sa Abra nagkaroon po ng crack itong simbahan natin. Pero ngayon po, bumagsak na yung belfry natin tsaka lumaki po yung ibang crack sa loob,” he said.

(Initially, after the previous earthquake here  in Abra on July 27, the church already sustained some cracks. But this time, the belfry totally collapsed and the cracks inside the church got bigger.)

According to Abao, the first baptismal certificate issued by the church was in 1985. He added that the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) presumed the old church as important cultural property.

After the July earthquake, Abao said the NCCA vowed to help restore the church. But, he said they are still waiting for the assistance.

At 10:59 p.m. on Tuesday, a magnitude 6.4 quake jolted Lagayan, Abra, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

Based on the agency's earthquake bulletin, the epicenter of the quake was seven kilometers northwest of Lagayan town. The tectonic earthquake also had a depth of 11 kilometers. —LBG, GMA News