MANILA - A city engineer believes soil liquefaction possibly caused the tilting of an Emilio Aguinaldo College building along United Nations Avenue after Monday's magnitude-6.1 earthquake hit parts of Luzon.

Roger Legaspi, city engineer of Manila, said his office is in the process of evaluating and assessing the extent of damage of the building, which completed construction in 2003-2004.

"Meron po sigurong movement sa foundation, merong liquefaction, loosening of the stones sa ilalim kaya po nagkaroon ng tilting if ever...I already sent a surveyor to determine the degree of tilting," Legaspi said in a radio DZMM interview.

According to the United States Geological Survey, liquefaction takes place when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their strength in response to strong ground shaking.

Earlier reports showed the school building tilted towards an adjacent building following Monday's tremor.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar earlier said he asked school officials not to utilize the building anymore.

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The local government is set to conduct inspections of buildings in Manila to check for possible damage.

RADIO DZMM, April 23, 2019