Mindanao quake death toll rises to 78

MANILA, Philippines —  The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 10 more deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of fatalities in last week’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao to 78.

According to Office of Civil Defense information officer Diego Mariano, the additional casualties include seven retrieved cadavers and three more previously reported as missing.

The 10 new recorded deaths are all from Davao Occidental where there are now a total of 20 reported casualties.

Sarangani still has the highest number of fatalities with 33, followed by South Cotabato with 24, and one reported death in Davao del Sur.

Mariano earlier explained that changes in figures being released by the NDRRMC are the result of continuing search, rescue and retrieval operations as well as validations and verifications of reported deaths, missing persons and injuries.

The latest NDRRMC report added that at least 30 persons remain missing; including 15 in Sarangani, 13 in Davao Occidental and two in South Cotabato.

As of yesterday, the number of injured persons remain at 1,399 in the Davao Region, South-Central Mindanao (Soccsksargen), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The number of affected population has risen to more than 357,000 families or more than 1.50 million individuals including some 5,000 families or over 21,900 persons staying in 47 different evacuation centers.

With 14 cities and municipalities under state of calamity, the NDRRMC said estimated cost of damage to infrastructure stands at P1.29 billion.

The powerful earthquake reportedly damaged 774 structures excluding more than 74,000 houses, of which some 13,700 were reported as totally destroyed.

Estimated cost of damage to agriculture is currently at P29.8 million in various areas of Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur alone.

So far, displaced families and most-affected communities have received more than P184.9 million in food and non-food assistance.

Crackdown on scammers

After two women were arrested for posing as Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. yesterday ordered police units to intensify operations against scammers in quake-hit areas.

“There is a special place in hell for these people who take advantage of the situation in Mindanao for their personal gains but right now, our focus is to identify all of them and haul them off to jail,” Nartatez said in a statement.

Criminal cases for usurpation of authority and falsification by private persons and use of falsified documents were filed against the suspects, known only as Chel and Cham, who were arrested at the DPWH’s Davao regional office on June 14.

The suspects allegedly introduced themselves as DPWH officials from Metro Manila and told public works employees in Davao that they were there to inspect infrastructure such as bridges and roads affected by the recent earthquake that struck Mindanao. They even called for a meeting at the regional office.

Red Cross deploys personnel

To ensure uninterrupted humanitarian operations in earthquake affected areas, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said it has deployed 264 staff and volunteers across Sarangani, General Santos City, Davao Occidental and South Cotabato.

The PRC personnel were supported by a range of operational assets including nine ambulances, six rescue vehicles, four water tankers, two food trucks, two relief trucks, three generator sets, two drones, and one Starlink satellite communications unit.

“We are moving ahead to reach even the most isolated communities,” PRC chairman and CEO Richard Gordon said. –  Rhodina Villanueva, Emmanuel Tupas