A part of the St. Joseph Parish (Dingras Church) in Dingras, Ilocos Norte collapsed following the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Abra late Tuesday evening.
Pictures sent to Church-run Radio Veritas by Monsignor Joel Barut, rector of the St. William Cathedral of the Diocese of Laoag, showed that a large portion of the backside of the church was destroyed.
The Dingras Church is one of the oldest churches in the country that was set up by the Augustinians in 1680.
The historic church underwent a series of renovations and repairs in 2010 having been ravaged by age and natural calamities in its 100 years of existence.
Meanwhile, large cracks and other minor damages were also reported at the Saint John Bosco Parish in Baresbes also in Dingras.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council continues to assess the damages caused by the strong earthquake which was tectonic in origin. No casualties have so far been reported.