Asia Pacific Daily Philippine reporter Jasmin Dacua
Compiled by: Asia-Pacific Daily Dan Wei
According to the Associated Press, late on September 30 local time, officials said a 6.9 magnitude earthquake had occurred on the northern coast of the Philippines, killing at least 72 people and injuring more than 200 people. This shallow earthquake, centered near Bogo City, caused buildings to collapse, residents trapped under rubble, and roads and public facilities in many areas were cut off.
The rescue team competed for the second in challenging conditions. They used anti-shell excavators, scavengers, flashlights and pedestrians to dig into the rubble to find survivors. Rain, damaged bridges, mountain slopes and further earthquakes hindered their work.
In several remote towns, such as Medellin and San Remigio, walls and buildings were reported to collapse during the earthquake, killing people. Three Coast Guard personnel and a child were killed while trying to escape the collapsed sports complex.
Thousands of residents, traumatized and fearful of more aftershocks, have spent the night in temporary shelters, open fields and parks, reluctant to return to their precarious homes. Schools and government offices in many affected areas remain closed while structural inspections are being carried out.
Tsunami warnings were briefly issued but were later lifted after no major ocean disturbance occurred. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) noted that as of Wednesday, more than 600 aftershocks had been detected.
President Ferdinand Marcos expressed his condolences to the people who died in the earthquake and ordered all government agencies to mobilize rescue and recovery work. Local disaster relief departments announced that the most affected cities have entered a disaster state to quickly provide relief to the disaster-affected families.
The quake struck an area already affected by a recent tropical storm that took dozens of lives a few days ago.
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