Strong quake kills five in northern Philippines

{O/C} The northern Philippines was jolted like a rag doll today after a formidable earthquake triggered landslides and wiped out buildings, killing at least five and injuring dozens.

{RVO}

The 7-magnitude earthquake was centred in a mountainous area of Abra province.

At least five people died, mostly in flattened structures.

Hundreds of houses and buildings saw their walls buckle.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the sorry sight didn't merit a state of emergency, but he revealed it was only when the chandeliers began swinging that he realised the intensity of the earthquake.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquake erupt.

With past records of over 20 typhoons and tropical storms every year, the Philippines is relatively susceptible to natural disasters.