Cataingan resident Isagani Libatan said he was on his way to his aunt’s house for breakfast when his motorcycle suddenly swayed from left to right as the ground heaved.
“I thought it was my tire but people suddenly streamed out in panic from swaying houses then we lost power,” Libatan told The Associated Press by telephone, pausing briefly as he felt another fairly strong aftershock.
The earthquake was set off by movement in the Philippine Fault, said Renato Solidum, who heads the government institute. It was felt in several provinces across the central Visayas region.
The Philippines lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. It’s also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.
An injured man is treated after a strong earthquake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (AP Photo/ Christopher Decamon)
Credit: Christopher Decamon
Credit: Christopher Decamon
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, a toppled house is seen after a quake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (John Mark Lalaguna/Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, debris are scattered at a house after a magnitude quake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (John Mark Lalaguna/Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, a volunteer looks at the cracks on a road after a quake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (John Mark Lalaguna/Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
Men refuel a backhoe being used to sift through the rubble after a strong earthquake struck Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines, Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (AP Photo/Christopher Decamon)
Credit: Christopher Decamon
Credit: Christopher Decamon
In this photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, debris are scattered at a house after a quake struck in Cataingan, Masbate province, central Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. A powerful and shallow earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, prompting people to dash out of homes and offices but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. (John Mark Lalaguna/Philippine National Red Cross via AP)
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna
Credit: John Mark Lalaguna