MANILA, June 15 (Reuters) – A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines’ main island on Thursday, halting some train services in the capital Manila, officials said.
The Philippine Seismological Agency said there were no casualties or major damage after the quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) and was felt in nearby provinces.
Three elevated rail lines in Manila have been suspended due to the earthquake, the Transportation Ministry said.
“Railways and airports are suspended in operations. So far, there are no reports of a major effect of the earthquake, and we believe it will remain the same,” Civil Defense spokesman Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelido Alejandro told GMA news channel.
Ceiling lights were seen shaking in a hotel in one of Manila’s business districts where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was speaking to reporters after attending an international trade forum, a Reuters witness said.
Peter Oliver Palacio, mayor of Calatagan, 5 kilometers from the epicenter, told DZMM radio that the quake was dizzying and that the city’s engineering department had been instructed to check the damage.
The Seismological Agency initially recorded the quake at 6.2 on the Richter scale, but later downgraded it to 6.3. It said it expected damage and aftershocks.
Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bangalore, Enrico Dela Cruz and Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor
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