Image from NDRRMC-11
Four people were reported dead while 23 others were injured in the Davao Region after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of Mindanao, disaster officials said Tuesday.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Davao said the tremor affected 42 villages across the region and forced thousands of residents to leave their homes.
Based on the council’s bulletin, 8,322 families, or 18,384 individuals, were affected by the quake, with 1,544 families taking shelter in 14 evacuation centers.
Seven other families opted to stay with relatives or in other temporary shelters, while authorities continued to assess the needs of displaced residents.
The council also recorded damage to 98 houses, including 12 that were destroyed and 86 others that sustained partial damage.
Initial damage to infrastructure was placed at Php 500,000, covering roads, bridges, and seaports in Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Davao Occidental.
Disaster officials said 49 local government units suspended classes and work as a precaution, while humanitarian assistance worth Php 2.04 million had been distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of Civil Defense.
The regional disaster council placed its emergency operations center under red alert, activated its response cluster, and deployed air assets for aerial surveys, while teams also visited Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental to assess conditions on the ground and identify priority needs for response and early recovery.
