Monday, December 26, 2016

Nock-Ten & Quake of 5.2-magnitude hit Philippines

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit the Philippines coast today. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake occurred at 01:23 GMT today at a depth of 10 kilometers, 61 kilometers north of Namuac, a city located in the Philipinne Cagayan Valley region. No information on casualties or damage from the quake has been provided so far.
Philippines, powerful typhoon Nock-Ten is continuing to batter, as it heads towards the area around the heavily-populated capital Manila. Civil defence officials have been put on red alert, as the storm is due to hit the city later today. The storm has weakened since making landfall on the eastern coast yesterday, but it still packs winds up to 140 km per hour, meteorologists say.

Three people were reported killed in Albay province, south-east of Manila. The storm has cut power lines and uprooted trees. Manila's civil defence office warned that the capital could be hit by heavy to intense rains, flash floods and severe winds.

The coastguard has ordered beaches south of Manila to be cleared. The charity Save the Children told that up to one million people would need emergency shelter over the next 24 hours. Nock-Ten, known as Nina in the Philippines, hit the coast near Catanduanes island late yesterday, knocking out power.

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