Magnitude-5.1 Quake Jolts Central Philippines Killing 2

Two women died and more than 50 homes were damaged when a moderately strong quake measuring 5.1 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted parts of the central Philippines on Wednesday, police and disaster relief officials said.

One of the casualties was identified as Rosita Baloro, 70, who died of a heart attack as a result of the temblor in central Ormoc city, local police spokeswoman Ma. Elma delos Santos said.

Maria Colasito, 51, died when she fell and hit her head on pavement as she panicked and ran during the quake, delos Santos said.

More than 50 homes were damaged by the quake, which struck early Wednesday near the town of Albuera in the central Leyte province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The quake occurred a month after a temblor with a magnitude of 6.5 quake shook the eastern part of the central Visayas region, killing at least one person and injuring 100 others.

On Aug. 11, a 6.3-magnitude quake struck the coastal area of Nasugbu in Batangas province, shaking structures and forcing evacuation of schools and buildings. There were no injuries or deaths.

The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where earthquakes are frequent, some of which are devastating.

In July 1990, a 7.7-magnitude temblor stuck the main Luzon island, killing more than 1,600 people, many of them trapped inside a hotel that crumbled in the northern town of Baguio.