DepEd: At least 10 schools affected by Batanes quake

At least ten schools were affected by the earthquake that hit Itbayat, Batanes last Saturday, the Department of Education said in an initial report.

According to a statement issued by the DepEd, the department's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) reported that as of July 30, Tuesday, 10 schools were affected by the quake, along with 29 school personnel and students.

The DRRMS enumerated the damage and injuries at the following schools: 

• Itbayat National Agricultural High School: two casualties and 12 injured people, including 11 students; three severely damaged buildings.
• Itbayat Central School: nine students injured, one Gabaldon building and other infrastructure severely damaged.
• Mayan Elementary School: four injured people, including two students; one building "totally damaged" and two others severely damaged. 
• Yawran Barrio School: one student injured.
• Raele Integrated School: one person injured and one classroom declared unsafe for occupancy.
• Ivana Elementary School, Chanarian Elementary School, Batanes National Science High School, Basco Central School, and Uyugan Elementary School: cracks were observed in these schools' Gabaldon buildings.

The department also said it has ordered the continuous monitoring of divisions and schools in the affected areas for infrastructure damage and casualties.

A state of calamity has been declared in Batanes, where at least nine people have been killed by the quakes that have hit the province since Saturday.

At least 60 people have been injured, and some 2,600 continue to stay in the municipal plaza, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday. — BM, GMA News