Evacuation of hospital due to Philippines quake, minor damage reported.

On Thursday night, a magnitude 6 earthquake caused minor damage to a government coliseum and business establishments in Masbate Province, Philippines. The quake, which was set off by a local fault line at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) west of the coastal town of Batuan, woke many people from their sleep. Dozens of patients had to be evacuated from a hospital in the provincial capital of Masbate city due to some cracks in the three-story building, and a part of the ceiling on a small government coliseum in the city was also damaged. Cracks were seen in the concrete pillars of some businesses and houses. Two strong aftershocks were felt following the quake, and power was knocked out in many areas. Damage assessments by local officials are being conducted. The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, with around 20 typhoons and tropical storms hitting it annually. In 1990, a magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines.