Philippines earthquake: Death toll rises to 9

The death toll from the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the Philippines’ Luzon Island on Monday (local time) has risen to nine.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the earthquake was detected at a depth of 12 km, with an epicenter located about 18 km northeast of Castillejos town in the western part of Luzon Island, reported Xinhua.

The quake has since been followed by more than 400 aftershocks.

The Philippines is prone to earthquakes because of its geographical positioning. The country lies along the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.