Death toll in Philippine earthquake rises to 70, with 559 injuries

Manila: The death toll in Tuesday’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu province in central Philippines has climbed to 70, according to the latest official figure released by the Philippines’ highest body for disaster risk reduction and management on Saturday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that 32 of the fatalities were recorded in Bogo City, the quake’s epicentre, 15 in San Remigio town, 14 in Medellin town, six in Tabogon town, and one each in the municipalities of Sogod, Tabuelan, and Borbon.

The NDRRMC further reported that 559 people have been injured in the 5-kilometre-deep, offshore quake that struck at 9:59 p.m. local time while villagers were asleep and preparing to go to bed.

More than 120,000 families, or approximately 457,000 people, were affected by the tremor, which damaged over 18,000 houses and more than 500 infrastructures, including roads, bridges, and the city’s hospital.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology continues to record aftershocks, with more than 5,000 as of the time of writing, prompting people to stay in open spaces in makeshift tents due to their reluctance to return home because of the aftershocks.

All residents have now been accounted for, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Philippine government has announced the termination of search, rescue, and retrieval operations, focusing on relief efforts, early recovery, and rehabilitation activities.

Nearly four days since the quake struck, survivors continue to depend on the dole out for food and water as they face daily struggles to live. The victims appeal for food packs, first aid kits, hygiene supplies, tents, sleeping bags, and generator sets amid power outages.

The Philippines sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Earlier on Thursday, the Philippine government had announced the official termination of search, rescue, and retrieval operations in the four municipalities hardest hit by a powerful earthquake.

In a statement, the Philippines’ Office of Civil Defence had announced that search, rescue, and retrieval operations in the municipalities of San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Medellin, and the City of Bogo, Province of Cebu, ended on Thursday afternoon.

–IANS