MANILA — A strong earthquake struck the northern Philippines on Wednesday morning, a government institute said.
The 7.3 magnitude quake struck at 8:43 a.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers, or six miles, said Renato U. Solidum, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. It was felt with “relatively moderate intensity” hundreds of miles away in the capital, Manila, he said.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit in the northwestern part of Luzon, the country’s most populous island. It initially put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1, and later downgraded its assessment to 7.0.
“This is a major quake,” Mr. Solidum said in an interview with a local radio station.
A government agency released photos from Abra Province, where the quake struck, that showed damage to buildings, some of which had partially collapsed.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
This is a developing story.
Jason Gutierrez reported from Manila, and Mike Ives from Seoul.
