The mayor of a southern Philippine municipality badly hit by a powerful earthquake has called for urgent helicopter deployment to deliver food and relief supplies to villages isolated by landslides.
The 7.8-magnitude offshore earthquake struck on Monday near Sarangani province in southern Philippines. It is one of the strongest quakes in the country in the last 50 years. At least 47 people have been killed, 688 injured and 31 remain missing.
More than 45,000 people are still displaced as of Thursday. About half of them are staying in evacuation centres. Authorities said over 12,600 homes have been damaged across farming towns and urban areas. Frequent aftershocks have prevented many families from returning home.
Sarangani recorded the highest number of deaths, with 20 fatalities. Most deaths occurred in a landslide that buried homes in the coastal town of Glan, according to the Office of Civil Defence.
Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said electricity has not yet been restored. He said 10 of the town’s 31 villages remain largely inaccessible due to landslides. He urged the national government to deploy military helicopters to deliver food, drinking water and emergency supplies to isolated communities.
He added that damaged roads and blocked routes have slowed relief operations. He warned that food shortages are becoming critical in several villages.
Although a main road leading to the town has reopened, allowing fuel deliveries to resume, power outages continue. Mobile phone services also remain unreliable in many areas.
The Office of Civil Defence said more than 26 million pesos (about $426,000) worth of food packs, cash assistance and relief items have been distributed. It added that 180 aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks have been deployed for rescue and recovery operations.
Around 3,400 government workers and military personnel are involved in search and rescue, road clearing, damage assessment and emergency response work.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr visited General Santos City on Wednesday. He inspected damaged schools and hospitals and reviewed recovery efforts. He approved 100 million pesos (about $1.6 million) for repairs to the partially damaged city hall. He also ordered 50,000 pesos ($820) in aid for each family that lost a relative in the disaster.
Most deaths were caused by collapsing structures and landslides in Sarangani, General Santos City, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.
The earthquake also triggered dangerous sea conditions. Two swimmers drowned and one remains missing after being swept away by strong waves off General Santos shortly after the quake. Waves of up to 1.4 metres above normal tide levels were recorded in southern Philippines. Smaller waves were also observed in Indonesia, Palau and southern Japan.
The quake is among the strongest to hit the Philippines since the 8.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami of August 1976, which killed around 8,000 people.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire and frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to tectonic movement.
