Manila Vulnerable to Major Earthquake

The 12.1 million-resident Metro Manila agglomeration, a shambolic collection of 16 cities grown together, is at risk of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that could take more than 50,000 lives, cost as much as US$49 billion and wreck the economy, according to an exhaustive 56-page report by a Manila-based country risk firm.

Although there has been no major eart…