Thirty-seven dead, four missing, and officials say the numbers could change. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, an assistant secretary at the Office of Civil Defence, put it plainly on local radio network DZBB on Tuesday: “Our search and rescue and rapid damage assessment are ongoing. These numbers can change.”
The quake was a magnitude 7.8 and hit the southern island of Mindanao on Monday morning. US Geological Survey data shows it was the most powerful to strike the Philippines since 1976 and the strongest anywhere in the world this year. Alejandro said many residential and commercial buildings collapsed.
Where the deaths happened
Office of Civil Defense deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said 33 of the deaths were in the Soccsksargen region: 18 in Sarangani province, 12 in General Santos City and three in South Cotabato. Four more people died in the neighboring Davao Region. Spokesperson Junie Castillo said most victims were killed by falling debris as buildings collapsed.
Alejandro counted about 487 injured. Another tally, reported by Anadolu, put the injuries at at least 479. The quake struck off the coast of Sarangani, and search and retrieval work is concentrated in General Santos City and Sarangani.
Damage and displacement
Around 88,000 people were affected across southern Mindanao, and 22,690 of them were displaced. Many are staying in open spaces because aftershocks continue and buildings may not be safe. The Office of Civil Defense plans a tent city for those who cannot go home.
Alejandro said about 2,000 houses were affected, with more than 400 totally wrecked, and at least 117 government sites and around 20 bridges were damaged. A separate count listed 1,889 damaged houses, around 1,500 of them completely destroyed. Infrastructure losses were estimated at more than 900 million pesos ($14.6 million). The Department of Education reported damage to 1,159 classrooms in 231 public schools across five regions.
Aftershocks have kept coming. USGS recorded a 6.1-magnitude one about two hours after the main quake and a 5.1-magnitude one on Tuesday.
A tsunami warning went out too. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves more than 3 meters (10 feet) above normal tide levels were possible along some coastlines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology later cancelled the warning because observed waves were too small to cause damage.
Flights and politics
Civil aviation authorities limited the General Santos airport to military, government and humanitarian flights. Cebu Air and Philippine Airlines cancelled dozens of flights until Thursday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered state agencies to act immediately and said the national government “will not leave Mindanao behind.” The office of Vice President Sara Duterte, who is from Mindanao and a political rival of Marcos, said it had sent a food truck to feed disaster personnel and was ready to expand relief efforts.
Sources
- Philippines earthquake death toll rises to 37 as rescue efforts continue | The National
- Death toll from 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Philippines rises to 37 as 4 still missing
