Death toll from Philippines quake climbs to 47
At least 47 people were killed, 31 missing and 688 injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on Monday, said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Thursday, Xinhua reported.
The NDRRMC said the quake has affected more than 75,300 households, or over 346,000 people, and more than 45,000 affected residents have been displaced, with over 12,600 houses sustaining damage. The quake also triggered 45 related incidents, mainly landslides.
The council added that the earthquake affected the operation of 45 road sections, eight bridge sections, one airport, and two seaports, as well as the agriculture, husbandry and fishery industries. Power services were affected across 48 cities and municipalities.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 km, with the epicenter 32 km southwest of the coast of Maasim town in Sarangani province on Mindanao Island.
Earlier, it was reported that at least 45 people were killed, 17 missing and 487 injured after the devastating earthquake hit Mindanao.