Death toll in Surigao del Norte quake rises to six —local official

The death toll in the magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Surigao City on Friday night has risen to six, according to the Office of Civil Defense-Caraga Region.

The toll was confirmed by April Rose Sanchez, information officer at the Caraga OCD, to GMA News Online in a phone interview  Saturday afternoon.

Sanchez made the clarification after the Surigao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said there were 15 casualties in the quake.

"That was misleading information. That was not an information coming from our end, from the Caraga OCD. Yung 15 po, we're not verifying that because the only information na pinalabas namin is six pa po as of now," she said.

The Caraga regional police identified the six fatalities as Robert Eludo, 40; JM Ariar, 4; Wilson Lito, 35; Lorenzo Deguino, 85; Roda Justina Taganahan, 83; and Wenefreda Aragon Bernal, 66.

As of 3 p.m., the OCD-Caraga has identified a total of 112 injured persons while no one was reported missing.

At least 109 injured persons sought threatment in Surigao City, with 80 staying at the Caraga Regional Hospital, 21 at the Surigao Medical Center, and eight at the Miranda Family Hospital.

Three were admitted to the district hospital of Malimono, south of Surigao City.

Power, water supply

In a separate radio dzBB intreview, Ramon Gotinga of the Surigao del Norte PDRRMO said the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) is still meeting to address the immediate needs of the city and if a state of calamity needs to be declared.

"Ongoing pa po 'yung meeting ng CDRRMC, ng council," he said. "Magtatawag naman siguro ng PDRRMC, sa province, para mapag-usapan yun. Pero depende rin sa assessment."

Earthquake victims were temporarily housed at the city hall, in schools unaffected by the quake, and other designated areas marked by the CDRRMC.

"Ongoing pa po yung ano natin kasi yung iba, pumupunta sa mga kamag-anak nila," Gotinga said.

He said provisions at the moment can be sustained by the two municipalities hit by the quake, but they may soon ask the national government for aid.

"Mas maganda kung may tulong talaga agad na darating dito," Gotinga said.

Power will be restored in Surigao City on Saturday afternoon after its scheduled maintenance period.

"Nagkataon na may scheduled brownout for maintenance purposes. So kaninang umaga, alas-sais, babalik daw mamayang hapon ng alas-sais," Gotinga said.

Water supply remains high and establishments remain open for business excepting some stores that suffered structural damage.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the quake was tectonic in origin and had a Depth of Focus of 4 kms.

Extent of damage

Among the infrastructures that sustained damages from the quake are the bridges in Barangay Luna, at Sitio Kauswagan in Barangay Ipil, and in San Francisco town (Anao-aon Bridge).

Collapsed houses and walls have been found at Barangays Baya-ag and Biabid in Sison while residential houses in Miant sustained minor damages.

Portions of Surigao City Trade School, Provincial Guests Center in Dinagat Islands, the Surigao State College of Technology, Yuipco Building, and buildings and roads of Mainit also sustained damage.

The Surigao Airport also suffered a large crack in its runway and will have to be closed for a month.

All flights going to and from Surigao City have already been canceled.

Also damaged by the quake were roads along Rizal Street, Surigao City, as well as the national highway in Brgy. Luna.

The earthquake also damaged the Absolute Essential building, the Surigao State College of Technology building, and the Palma Store building, Parkway Hotel, Alexandra Store, PACEMCO building, and Yuipco building. Glass windows of the Gaisano Capital Surigao were also shattered.

The Parkway Hotel is undergoing clearing but was supposedly empty of tenants before its collapse. — MDM, GMA News