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9 hurt as strong quake damaged condo in Davao City — Sara Duterte
Nine people were injured after a condominium in Davao City was heavily damaged following the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that jolted Mindanao anew on Thursday morning, according to Mayor Sara Duterte.
At a press conference in Davao City, Duterte said seven of the nine people injured in the Ecoland 4000 condominium were treated on-site, while two were rushed to a hospital.
The mayor said Central 911 reported no occupants were trapped inside when the building collapsed. Authorities are still inspecting all floors of the five-story building.
Authorities have already inspected the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the five-story building. They also assessed the first and second levels, which suffered the hardest blows from the quake.
Responders are also verifying signs of life in one of the 56 units in the building, but they have yet to issue a confirmation.
According to Duterte, the Davao City Engineer’s Office recommended the condemnation of the condominium on Wednesday.
All unit owners had been informed of the condemnation.
The mayor said around 15 to 20 units had tenants but authorities are still verifying if any of them were in their homes at the time of the collapse.
Out of the 56 units in the condominium, Duterte said around 15 to 20 had tenants but authorities are still verifying if any of them were in their homes at the time of the collapse.
“We will explore possible legal action if makita natin merong evidence na meron silang pagpapabaya,” she added.
The mayor reminded property developers “to heed the recommendations of the City Engineer’s Office" following the incident.
Meanwhile, authorities found cracks in two major bridges in Davao City.
Duterte said the Department of Public Works and Highways and City Engineer’s Office are still assessing the Bankerohan Bridge, while the Bolton Bridge has been limited to 20-ton capacity.
“Beyond 20 tons, ‘di na kaya ng bridge because dun na siya damaged sa kanyang diaphragm wall below sa bridge,” she explained.
The government buildings and structures have also been cleared by the City Engineer’s Office.
Duterte said they have received some reports of houses with cracks but the city government is still collating the information.
She said they have not declared forced evacuation of residents to avoid creating panic.
“What we do not want is mag-panic ang mga residents. What we ask people is every time na merong aftershock, for people to inspect their residence, their infrastructure, and then watch out for sunog sa mga nag-move na electrical connections sa infrastructure,” she said. — RSJ, GMA News
