Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday inspected damage caused by a powerful earthquake that left at least five dead and more than 100 injured in northern provinces, the dpa reported. The magnitude-7 quake struck the mountainous Cordillera region on Wednesday, triggering landslides and rock falls, damaging hundreds of houses and buildings, and cutting off power and communication lines. Marcos Jr went to Abra province, where the quake's epicentre was located, to visit victims, many of whom had camped out overnight amid hundreds of aftershocks, said Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo. The national disaster agency said five people were killed, mostly after being struck by collapsed structures or debris, while 131 were injured by the quake that was also felt as far away as the Manila region. Nearly 13,000 people were affected by the earthquake, which also damaged dozens of hospitals, schools, government offices, and roads and bridges that cracked.
