Mindanao earthquake deaths rise to 38; infra damage at over P500M —OCD

Another death has been logged in the wake of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Sarangani, bringing the reported death toll to 38, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said.

Meanwhile, the number of missing individuals remains at four while injured persons are at 478.

“Ito ang update natin as of 3 p.m., in terms of casualty, 38 na po ang reported dead casualty. Mayroon pa rin pong apat na missing, so nadagdagan lang ng isa based sa updates natin sa hapon. Mayroong 478 injured individuals,” said Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Administration Asec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV.

(This is our update as of 3 p.m., in terms of casualties, there are now 38 reported deaths. There are still four missing, so it just increased by one based on our updates this afternoon. There are also 478 injured individuals.)

The OCD noted that General Santos City and Sarangani are the most affected areas by the earthquake that hit on Monday.

“Most affected areas pa rin in terms of casualties, displacement, damage to houses and infrastructures ay General Santos City and the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato,” Alejandro said.

(The most affected areas in terms of casualties, displacement, and damage to houses and infrastructure are General Santos City and the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato.)

The agency added that over P500 million worth of infrastructure damage was recorded in Davao Region and SOCCKSARGEN.

“So far ang reported sa atin ay P562.8 million ang infrastructure damages sa dalawang regions – Regions 11 and 12,” Alejandro added.

(So far, what has been reported to us is ₱562.8 million worth of infrastructure damages across two regions – Regions 11 and 12.)

Citing data from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), there were 1,209 aftershocks recorded as of 3 p.m., ranging from magnitude 1.3 to 6.4.

The OCD said their operations are currently focused on search and retrieval.

“Ang sentro ng operasyon natin ngayon search, rescue, and retrieval. As of 3 p.m. mayroon ng 2,784 personnel deployed coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), at Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP),” said Alejandro.

(The focus of our operations right now is search, rescue, and retrieval. As of 3 p.m., there are already 2,784 personnel deployed coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.) — JMA, GMA News