BEYOND infrastructural damages, the number of casualties in Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao has breached 40, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
OCD data also showed a rapidly rising number of people being treated for injuries. As of its latest count, 450 patients are being treated in tents — as hospitals have become inaccessible due to road damages.
The OCD also reported that some areas in Sarangani province — the hardest hit area in Mindanao – could only be reached by helicopter.
Thousands remained displaced too, said OCD regional chief Rodrigo Sosmeña.
“The rescuers are very cautious in their approach. That’s a challenge,” an Inquirer report quoted Sosmeña, as search and rescue teams struggled to locate four individuals who remained missing.
An inspection of national government officials showed extreme devastation across the region — a collapsed school, damaged commercial buildings, a public market in disarray, and houses reduced to rubble.
Displaced families have already been relocated.
The tremor affected 17,689 families across the region, with about 8,160 people displaced and currently staying in evacuation centers.
In Manila, Palace press officer Claire Castro said President Marcos will fly to Mindanao this week. She however declined to say when and which part of the region would be inspected.
Previously, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered concerned government agencies to ensure the safety and welfare of patients in hospitals affected by the earthquake.
However, ground reports claimed that some patients opted not to be treated in hospitals in view of structural damages.
Power supply also remains unavailable across Southern Mindanao.
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