A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 46 and injuring hundreds. Rescue teams are still searching for missing people.
The number of victims of the earthquake that hit the region of Mindanao in the south of the Philippines on Monday night has risen to 46. 630 people were injured and 17 people are missing, local officials said on Wednesday. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and DPA agencies.
The death toll rose from 37, with most of the new casualties reported from Davao Occidental province, where six people were killed in a landslide and two were killed by falling debris.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the island country on Monday night. The quake caused buildings to collapse, landslides and authorities issued tsunami warnings across a large area of Mindanao. According to a Philippine official, about 3,000 houses are damaged or destroyed, and roads and bridges are also damaged. Damage to infrastructure is estimated at 562.8 million pesos (7.9 million euros).
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a total of 2,200 aftershocks, with the strongest at magnitude 6.7.
Schools are closed
The earthquake occurred on the first day of the new school year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 3.2 million schoolchildren were affected. “Teaching remains suspended in more than 6,200 public and private schools pending security assessments,” OCHA said.
