Death toll from Philippines powerful quake rises to 55
Death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck the southern Philippines earlier this week has risen to 55, authorities said Thursday, as search and rescue works continue in Mindanao, Anadolu reported.
Dozens of people were injured, and several others are missing, as the area reports damages and destructions caused by the quake.
Local disaster management officials confirmed the updated figure of fatalities, after additional bodies were recovered from collapsed buildings and landslide-hit communities, according to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Rescue operations have been hampered by continuing aftershocks, unstable structures, and damaged roads leading to affected towns.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged full government support for affected communities and ordered national agencies to accelerate recovery and rehabilitation measures.
As it was reported, magnitude 7.8 quake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on June 8, and 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.
