Desperate residents flag down cars for water, food, shelter in quake-hit Mindanao

Desperate residents of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao were seen flagging down passing vehicles on the highway with cardboard signs asking for help, following the damage caused by two strong earthquakes in the span of one week.

Residents near the Davao del Sur-Cotabato border were lined along the national highway asking for water, food, and tarpaulins which they can use for shelter, according to a tweet by Raffy Tima.

Desperate for help, residents near the Davao Del Sur - Cotabato border flag down passing vehicles along the National Highway asking for water, food and tarpaulin for shelter. Government help is slow to come by according to these evacuees. pic.twitter.com/Yn4DOR9lxw

— Raffy Tima (@raffytima) November 2, 2019

"Government help is slow to come by according to these evacuees," the tweet said.

Mindanao was struck by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake on Tuesday, followed by another magnitude 6.5 earthquake on Thursday.

It was once again hit by a magnitude 5.5 and 5.0 earthquake on Friday morning and afternoon, respectively.

In its latest report released Saturday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the death toll remained at 17, while the number of missing persons remained at two and the number of injured persons went up to 327.

According to the NDRRMC, the number of families affected has reached 29,349 or 146,745. — Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM, GMA News