Strong Earthquake Shakes Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A strong but deep earthquake struck the northern Philippines early Friday afternoon but caused no apparent damage.

Office workers and students in the capital, Manila, briefly evacuated their buildings after feeling the moderately strong swaying and shaking.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said no damage was expected because the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 160 kilometers (99 miles). Deeper epicenters often cause less damage at the Earth's surface, though they can be widely felt.

The epicenter was 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Batangas province's resort town of Nasugbu, which is around 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Manila.

"I felt the shaking, but it did not last that long," said Marjorie Caubalejo, a beach resort worker in Nasugbu. She said she and her co-workers went out of their office when they felt the tremor, but most of their guests were swimming and did not notice the earthquake. Power was not interrupted, she added.

(KA)