Login
Death toll rises to 61 in Mindanao quake, dozens remain missing
ISTANBUL, June 13 — The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck the southern Philippines earlier this week has risen to 61, authorities said today, as search and rescue teams continued operations in the worst-hit parts of Mindanao.
The Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said the number of fatalities increased after more bodies were recovered from affected areas.
Broadcaster GMA News reported that 33 people remain missing while 1,221 others have been injured.
Authorities said search, rescue and retrieval operations are ongoing as emergency crews continue looking for survivors and recovering victims trapped by landslides and collapsed buildings.
The Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) reported that the earthquake affected 553,068 people across the Mindanao region.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, about 9,393 people are staying in evacuation centres while another 54,274 are sheltering with relatives and friends outside official relief facilities.
Initial assessments showed that 8,865 houses were destroyed while a further 36,691 suffered partial damage.
Rescue efforts have been slowed by persistent aftershocks, unstable structures and damaged roads that have made some communities difficult to reach.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao earlier this week, triggering widespread panic and causing extensive damage to homes, schools, hospitals and public infrastructure.
General Santos City and parts of Sarangani province were among the hardest-hit areas, prompting authorities to declare states of calamity to speed up relief and recovery efforts. — Bernama–Anadolu
