Earthquake in Mindanao: Death toll rises to 7, says OCD

BLOCKED This photo, shared by netizens and local media outlets in General Santos city and Sarangani on Facebook, shows boulders blocking the national highway leading to Glan town following a landslide triggered by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake on Friday afternoon (November 17, 2023)

MANILA, Philippines — The fatalities or deaths due to the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit several areas in Mindanao have risen from the initial two to seven, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) told INQUIRER.net on Saturday, November 18.

The temblor rocked the waters off Sarangani in Davao Occidental on Friday afternoon, November 17.

READ: Earthquake hits Mindanao: Couple killed after wall collapses on their shanty

According to OCD – Region XII Information Officer Jorie Mae Balmediano, aside from the previously reported couple in General Santos city who died from the earthquake, four more fatalities were recorded in the region.

“As of today, ang recorded fatality po natin dito sa Region XII ay umabot na po tayo sa six po,” she said over the phone.

(As of today, our recorded fatality here in Region XII already reached six.)

READ: No tsunami threat after 6.8 quake off Sarangani town – Phivolcs

A female employee of a salon, also in General Santos city, died after debris fell on her.

The agency said they are still verifying what the debris was.

In the municipality of Malapatan, a male pastor died after being hit by a rock, while another one, also male, died possibly due to stroke, Balmediano noted.

She added a fatality was likewise recorded in Glan, Sarangani, after a man inside a hardware was hit by a steel in his head.

If all of these reported fatalities are confirmed and added to the official tally of OCD, the death toll could rise to ten.

READ: General Santos Airport sustains hairline cracks after Sarangani quake

Meanwhile, in the Davao region, its OCD Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang said a male senior citizen died in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental after a rock fell on him.

The regions are still assessing the actual impact of the earthquake.

Dayanghirang further said a National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council meeting was conducted on Saturday morning.

It was attended by Vice President Sara Duterte, National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.

“All the agencies concerned are required to report and update the central office for 15 days,” Dayanghirang said over the phone.

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