Moderate quake hits northern RP

Moderate quake hits northern RP

MANILA (AP): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 shook Manila and several northern Philippine provinces on Monday, causing people to run out of houses, stores and schools, officials and witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. The earthquake struck at 9:59 a.m. (8:59 a.m. Jakarta time) and was centered about 31 kilometers northeast of San Fernando town in northern La Union province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

Government seismologist Leo Bautista said the earthquake was set off by a movement in the Philippine fault, the country's longest fault line, which runs from the southern to the northern regions of the archipelago.

Bautista said the earthquake was felt most strongly in San Fernando and the mountain resort city of Baguio. Aftershocks followed but all were unfelt by people, she said.