Mindanao quake. Photo courtesy of Jurel Bayang/PNA.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported that 53 bodies had been recovered from areas hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Sarangani, raising the expected death toll as validation work continued.
BFP spokesperson Annalee Atienza-Arroyo said the recovered bodies were still being verified, with authorities working to establish the identities of the victims.
The BFP figure was already higher than the official fatality count released earlier by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, which listed 45 deaths as of midday Wednesday.
Arroyo said the number could still change as search and retrieval operations continued in Region 12, the area hardest hit by the powerful tremor.
BFP units from Region 10, Caraga, the Bangsamoro region, and Region 11 were deployed to reinforce local responders handling recovery work.
The agency earlier placed BFP Regions 11 and 12 under Code Red Alert, putting 3,441 personnel on standby for rescue, evacuation, humanitarian, and retrieval operations.
Authorities were also monitoring continuing aftershocks, with more than 2,223 recorded as of Wednesday morning, ranging from magnitude 1.2 to magnitude 6.4.
The rise in recovered bodies came as nearly 7,000 people remained in evacuation areas and government agencies expanded relief, medical, price-monitoring, and labor assistance in quake-hit communities.