15 students suffered panic attack amid stampede after Zamboanga quake

A total of 15 students suffered panic attack amid a stampede in a university in Zamboanga City after a magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit Siocon, Zamboanga Del Norte on Thursday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

The NDRRMC said two of the students had to be brought to a hospital for further treatment.

“Upon arriving at the scene, a total of 15 students were catered by [Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Emergency Medical Services] who were experiencing panic attacks. The [Emergency Medical Services] gave supplemental oxygen to the patients,” it said.

“Two of the patients were transported to the hospital for further treatment,” it added.

According to the NDRRMC, the stampede occurred during the evacuation of people from the Universidad de Zamboanga - Main Campus.

Meanwhile, a total 42 infrastructures, mostly schools, were reported damaged in Zamboanga del Norte due to the earthquake.

The town of Siocon experienced power interruption, according to the NDRRMC.

Classes were suspended in five areas in Zamboanga del Norte and one area in Zamboanga del Sur, the council added.

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit Siocon around 11:41 am on Thursday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

In its bulletin, PHIVOLCS said the offshore earthquake happened around two kilometers from Siocon. The earthquake had a depth of focus of 43 kilometers and was tectonic in origin.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News