The number of people in Mindanao who died from the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit Davao Occidental on November 17, 2023 has gone up to nine, as of latest count on November 20.

The epicenter of the quake was traced to Sarangani.

In General Santos City, three died, including a couple and a female employee of a salon at a mall.

The couple died when a concrete fence collapsed on them as they were seeking refuge when the quake hit. The woman was two months pregnant.

“Yung asawa niya nagtago sumandal sa pader tapos ang lalaki galing sa loob pumunta sa asawa niya… nadamay din siya,” says a cousin.

Meanwhile, it was only the day after the earthquake when rescuers found the body of the salon employee at the mall where the salon was located.

“Kino-contact ko ang cellphone niya, nagri-ring lang. ‘Yung mga kasamahan niya, tinanong ko kung nasaan si Ren-Ren… sabi nila naiwan daw sa taas kaya lumapit ako agad sa rescuers na ang asawa ko hindi pa nakalabas,” the woman’s husband says.

In the town of Glan, a man died when he was hit by a piece of metal hit him in the head at his hardware store during the earthquake.

In Barangay Mudan, a 32-year-old woman and her seven-year-old daughter died after a landslide covered their house. Their bodies were recovered the day after the quake.

A body of another person was also found at a cliff in Barangay Kaltuad.

In Malapatan, Sarangani, a farmer died when a boulder fell on him while he was at his farm when the earthquake struck.

In the town of Jose Abad Santos, a 78-year-old male pastor died when he was hit by a rock.

Back in Glan, up to 16 students experienced panic attack and sustained injured when the earthquake hit.

DAMAGE

The earthquake, which was reported initially at magnitude 7.2, damaged the municipal hall and port extension in Glan. Cracks were seen on both structures after the earthquake.

In Sarangani, the celing of a classroom at Mangahos Elementary School caved in during the quake.

A car was also damaged when the foundation of a house caved in and the terrace collapsed. No one was injured.

In Gla, a rockslide occurred at the national highway of a tourist destination, when caused heavy traffic and stranded hundreds of vehicles.

A concrete wall of a church in the town also collapsed.

In Barangay 76-A in Bucana, Davao City, over a hundred residents living near an ongoing construction site have not been allowed to return home yet, as of this writing, after a block of cement fell when the crane gave in when the earthquake struck.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

AID

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed aid to residents of SOCCKSARGEN Region affected by the quake.

Authorities are also ready to provide stress debriefing.