MANILA: Thousands of commuters on their way home after a day’s work were stranded, with some left to walk following suspension of the metro’s operations in the aftermath of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that jolted the city this afternoon and have left five persons dead in the nearby province of Pampanga.
The city’s metro system snakes through business and work district connecting them to residential areas. It transports millions of passengers a day.
Officials said a decision was made to suspend operations for safety reasons.
Earlier, MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal said he has ordered an inspection of the runway at Ninoy Aquino International Airport to ensure safety. This, after Clark International Airport sustained damaged caused by the earthquake.
Five people were killed when at least two buildings collapsed as a result of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that rocked Luzon, Singapore Straits Times reported, citing international news agencies Agence France Presse, Reuters and Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
The report said three bodies have been pulled out of a collapsed building in the town of Porac, while an old woman and her grandchild were crushed to death by another building in the town of Lubao, the report said citing provincial governor Lilia Pineda.
“The quake has caused a blackout,” Pineda was quoted by the media reports as saying, even as she expressed concerns nightfall could hamper rescue efforts.
Meantime, Philippine government officials have started conducting a thorough damage assessment of buildings and infrastructures following the earthquake measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 6.3.
Citing Reuters news agency, Singapore’s Straits Times also reported that buildings swayed in the main business district of Makati City in the capital, Manila.
“The quake struck at 5.11pm local time, about 60 km north-west of Manila at a depth of 40km. The USGS initially said the magnitude was 6.4 but later downgraded it slightly,” said the report.
Buildings were evacuated as panicking occupants scampered to safety during the earthquake.
