At least five people died while more than 400 others were injured when a 6.6 magnitude quake hit the central part of Mindanao and nearby areas, almost two weeks after the same areas were jolted by a 6.3 magnitude tremor.
Four of the fatalities were reported in Magsaysay town of Davao del Sur where more or less 300 other residents were reported injured.
Corporal Krister John Nahine, spokesman of the Magsaysay Municipal Police Station, said two of the victims died in a landslide in Barangay Upper Bala.
He identified them as Guilbert Suprales and Miggy Atik, both 33 years old.
Nahine said Jessie Parba, a Grade 9 student, also died after being hit by a falling debris while another one was reported dead in Barangay Tagaytay.
“The area where the landslide occurred is still not passable. Our rescue teams are having difficulty reaching the place because of the aftershocks,” Nahine said in a phone interview.
Mark Timbal, spokesman of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said the
victim identified as Nestor Narciso succumbed to head injury and laceration after he was hit with falling debris in Koronadal City during the earthquake on Tuesday morning.
“We also received reports that there were at least 30 injured people
in Kidapawan City and 13 more in M’lang, North Cotabato,” said Timbal.
Rolly Aquino, chief of Operations and Warning Unit of the Provincial
government of South Cotabato said that they received reports that at
least 70 people sustained minor injuries.
Based on the initial data, several people also lost consciousness while others suffered difficulty in breathing due to fear at the peak of the tremor in northern and central part of
Mindanao.
Lt. Col. Mardy Hortilosa, spokesman of the Northern Mindanao regional police, said there were no reported death or injuries in the region but reported some damage in infrastructure.
Hortilosa said the strong quake caused visible cracks on walls and floors of the administration building and classrooms at least three schools, an outlet at the Ayala Centrio Mall and a call center building.
“There were three people who reportedly collapsed while another one
suffered panic attack,” said Hortilosa.
In Iligan City, nine students also fainted due to fear of the quake.
Timbal said local OCD teams were already sent to all the affected areas in Mindanao to check on the casualties, number of residents affected and damage to infrastructure.
SECOND TIME
Tuesday’s quake occurred while authorities are still reeling from the impact of a strong earthquake that hit almost the same area almost two weeks ago.
On the night of October 16, at least seven people died while more than 200 others were injured due to a 6.3 magnitude quake that hit North Cotabato and other areas.
The quake also triggered fire in mall and caused the collapse of some structures. Hundreds of houses were also either totally damaged or partially destroyed.
“The damage caused by previous quake to some establishments in Digos City in Davao del Sur worsened after this morning (Tuesday) quake,”
said Leslie Francisco, spokesperson of the Office of Civil Defense in Davao region.
Classes in the affected areas were already suspended as part of the safety measures for the students. Some of the damaged infrastructure are schools.
Work in several government offices were also suspended. (Aaron Recuenco)
