Power back in quake-hit Bohol; death toll now 173

The death toll from Tuesday's deadly magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas rose further to 173 as of Friday afternoon, even as power has already been restored in Bohol, the hardest hit province of the deadly tremor.

Of the 173, 160 were from Bohol, 12 from Cebu and one from Siquijor, according to the 6 p.m. report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

It also said that 498 have been injured — 311 in Bohol, 182 in Cebu, three in Siquijor, and one each in Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

Search and rescue teams, meanwhile, were still looking for the 19 people who were missing as of Friday evening, all of them in Bohol.

Four days after the earthquake, power in Tagbilaran City and all towns of Bohol was finally restored at 5 p.m. Friday, the NDRRMC said.

A total of 1,694 aftershocks have been recorded since Tuesday, 29 of which had been felt, the NDRRMC also said.

It also said the quake has affected 680,150 families or 3,426,957 people in 1,306 villages in 50 towns and eight cities in six provinces. Of these, 21,023 families or 104,012 people are staying in 86 evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said 8,681 houses were destroyed while 25,909 were damaged in Bohol, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Guimaras.

Damage to property was estimated at P549.85 million. At least 24 bridges and 13 roads are not passable. — KBK, GMA News