Several injured people were treated outdoors in the suffocating heat this Tuesday (9)one day after the earthquake that shook the southern Philippines and left at least 41 people dead and thousands homeless.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:37 am on Monday (8:37 pm Brasília, Sunday), with its epicenter at sea, 35 kilometers deep, near the island of Mindanao.
In Sarangani province, one of the most affected, some areas are only accessible by helicopter. And aftershocks make the work of rescue teams difficult.
“There are still aftershocks, so rescue teams are being very cautious. It’s a challenge,” said regional Civil Defense coordinator Rodrigo Sosmena at a press conference.
Several tremors shook the region after the initial quake.
According to provincial sources interviewed by AFP, the toll from the earthquake rose this Tuesday to 41 deaths. Monday’s balance was 35 fatalities.
Near a hospital in General Santos, the largest city in the region, a medical team attended to a woman who gave birth outdoors.
In the Glan area, where a landslide buried houses and left at least 13 dead, a hospital worker reported that more than 60 patients were being treated on the street for fear of aftershocks.
“The hospital suffered a lot of damage,” declared the establishment employee. The city council “decided that we could not use the building”.
In General Santos, rescue teams resumed their search – after a night break – to try to locate two employees of a grocery store whose roof collapsed.
AFP reporters saw sniffer dogs and their guides in piles of cement and twisted metal bars. Nearby, a Coast Guard vessel was patrolling the area in search of two missing people.
Monday’s earthquake caused extensive damage and scenes of panic.
A video released on social media and verified by AFP shows the collapse of a shopping center in General Santos.
The quake prompted orders to evacuate residents in coastal areas of the southern Philippines and neighboring Indonesia. A tsunami warning was issued and lifted a few hours later.
