Sarangani quake death toll climbs to 45 - OCD
Baku, June 10, AZERTAC
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday said it is now verifying reports of 45 deaths from the June 8 magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked Maasim, Sarangani, and nearby provinces, according to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
In an interview with DZMM, OCD deputy administrator for administration Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the deaths are from Davao Region and Soccsksargen, which include 18 in Sarangani, 15 in South Cotabato, 11 in Davao Occidental, and one in Davao del Sur.
Likewise, Alejandro said that they are now validating reports of 17 missing persons, which can be broken down into 13 from Davao Occidental and four in General Santos City.
Some 630 were reported injured, he added.
These figures, Alejandro said, are still subject to validation and change.
In a separate update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said there are now a total of 33,596 families or 149,372 persons residing in 184 barangays in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM) in Muslim Mindanao affected by the earthquake.
Of these, 8,813 families, or 32,464 individuals, are being assisted inside 57 evacuation centers, while another 1,804 families, equivalent to 8,973 persons, are being aided outside, with the remainder sheltering with families or friends.
Likewise, 2,994 houses were reported damaged, of which 2,499 are classified as "partially damaged" and 495 as "totally damaged". These were reported in Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.
As this developed, the Philippine Army deployed an urban search and rescue (USAR) team of 18 personnel to General Santos City, as government agencies stepped up search-and-rescue efforts in quake-affected areas.
In a statement on Wednesday, Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the 10th Infantry Division (ID) deployed around 200 personnel in General Santos City, which bore the brunt of the infrastructure damage.
These humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) teams are from one platoon from the 10th Emergency Response Company (10ERC), three platoons of Task Force (TF) Gensan, one platoon from the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, and one company from the 28th Infantry Battalion.
Moreover, the 6th Infantry Division deployed 53 personnel from 12 HADR teams from its 105th Infantry Battalion and 37th Infantry Battalion in General Santos City; Maitum, Kiamba, and Maasim in Sarangani; and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.
Deployed vehicles include eight KM-250s, five KM-450s, two mobile patrols, and three motorcycles in quake-hit areas. Around 530 personnel from 53 HADR teams from 10ID and 77 personnel from nine HADR teams from 6ID are currently on standby alert.
Moreover, 56 military trucks and one patrol car from 6ID and 10ID are on standby.
"The PA is closely working with national government agencies and local government units for the swift and coordinated response to the destructive quake and the subsequent aftershocks in the region," Dema-ala said.
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