Quake knocks out water, power in Leyte but no casualties

MANILA (AFP) - A 5.5-magnitude earthquake knocked out power and water lines, destroyed a bridge and damaged a school in the central Philippines, the civil defence office said Friday.

The quake, which hit just before midnight Thursday, caused a five-hour power outage and broke water pipes, halting water supplies in the town of Hinunangan, located near the epicentre of the quake on the southern end of Leyte island.

A major bridge to the town collapsed along with the concrete wall of the town school, the civil defence office said, adding that the town hall and church also suffered cracks.

There were no reports of any casualties.

The archipelago nation, made up of more than 7,000 islands, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.