Four people are killed and sixty others are injured after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits Luzon, Philippines.
On July 27, 2022, at 08:43:24 a.m. (PHT), an earthquake struck the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake as having a magnitude of 7.1 Mw . At least 5 people died and 100 were injured, damaged buildings and sent strong tremors through the capital, Manila.
In the southern part of Luzon, the subduction zone is located east of the island along the Philippine Trench, where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts westward beneath the Sunda Plate. In northern Luzon, where the July 27 earthquake occurred, the subduction zone location and direction changes, with another trench (Manila Trench) located west of Luzon and the Sunda Plate subducts eastward beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. The complexity of plate tectonics on and around Luzon is evidenced by the diversity of faulting mechanisms in large earthquakes. These active plate boundaries lead to high seismic activity.
The earthquake damaged a total of 173 buildings including colonial-era churches. Damage was reported in 15 provinces, 15 cities and 280 towns. At least 5 fatalities and 100 injuries were recorded. At least 58 landslides were triggered. Across the Cordillera Administrative Region, damage occurred in 29 municipal roads. The earthquake was felt strongly in Metro Manila, but was not sufficient to cause damage. The earthquake prompted the Manila Metro Rail Transit System to suspend service during rush hour. Operations resumed at 10:12, with the exception of LRT Line 2 due to inspections. Occupants of the Senate building in Pasay were also evacuated.