Rescuers in the southern Philippines battled rain and continuing aftershocks on Friday as they cleared blocked roads and searched for missing people following a powerful earthquake. The death toll rose to 55.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck just off the coast of Mindanao on Monday. It flattened buildings, triggered landslides on the southern island and set off tsunami warnings across the region.
A government tally released on Friday confirmed eight additional deaths. Officials said 31 people remained missing as local reports continued to arrive from affected areas.
In hard-hit Sarangani province, provincial disaster chief Rene Punzalan said many blocked roads had been cleared. However, helicopters continued to deliver food and water to isolated residents still without electricity.
He said operations were repeatedly disrupted by weather and tremors.
“Aftershocks are still slowing us down. It also rained last night, so we had to stop the operation for a while,” he said, referring to the use of backhoes to move large boulders during clearance work.
Punzalan said search operations for the missing were ongoing, but chances of survival were extremely slim.
“Many days have passed since the earthquake, so it’s going to be a miracle if any of them can be rescued alive,” he said. “Our goal is just to retrieve their bodies.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos visited affected areas of General Santos on Wednesday, including a damaged school and an aid distribution centre.
He said the government would allocate 100 million pesos, equivalent to about $1.6 million, for the reconstruction of the city hall.
