Quakes rock RP, Taiwan sea border

A fifth earthquake measuring 5.2 struck along the sea border between the Philippines and Taiwan, the Hong Kong Observatory said yesterday.

The quake’s epicenter was in the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines about 210 kilometers south-southwest of Gaoxiong in southern Taiwan.

The quake occurred at 9:25 a.m., the observatory said.

Four other quakes, the largest measuring 6, were recorded west of Basco, Batanes over a 14-hour period between Monday and Tuesday.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from any of the quakes.

The Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs) said it did not detect the latest quake as it was too far and too weak to affect the Philippines.

Phivolcs officer Ishmael Narag said such quakes were not unusual in a "tectonically active region," saying the new quakes were moderate compared to the 4,000 quakes detected in four days in the same area in 2004.

Taiwan’s seismology center said the quakes were undetected.

The Philippines is part of the so-called "Ring of Fire" of volcanic islands along the western rim of the Pacific Ocean that sit on unstable earth plates and are prone to earthquakes.

Although about 10 quakes hit the Philippines every day, few are felt. Only three major, destructive tremors have been recorded in more than 30 years, according to the institute. — AFP and Helen Flores