Philippines hit by 7.4-magnitude earthquake, seven dead
The death toll from the two high-intensity earthquakes that struck the southern Philippines on Friday, October 10, has risen to seven with more than 300 people injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (the country's disaster management agency) and local officials.
Over 200,000 people were affected by the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes, which struck the town of Manay in Davao Oriental province, about a thousand kilometers south of Manila, just 12 hours apart, DPA news agency reported.
Three casualties were recorded in Mati city, including a woman trapped under a collapsed wall in her home. Two miners were killed in Pantukan town, and Davao city and Tarragona town each reported one death.
Most of the injured suffered trauma and bruises after being hit by falling debris, while many others experienced hyperventilation or fainted. This included several students who were at school when the first earthquake occurred at 09:43 local time (01:43 GMT). The second quake struck at 19:12 local time (13:12 GMT).
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (the state seismology institute) issued tsunami alerts following the two underwater earthquakes, which originated from the same tectonic fault line. The alerts were subsequently cancelled.
More than 790 aftershocks have been recorded since the earthquakes, the state seismology institute said, citing Agerpres news agency.
The Davao earthquakes occurred barely a week after a magnitude 6.9 quake shook the central province of Cebu, located approximately 515 kilometres away, killing at least 74 people and injuring some 560 others.
The Philippines lies within a region known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur. One of the most powerful quakes to hit the nation occurred in July 1990, when over 2,400 people died on the northern island of Luzon after a magnitude 7.8 quake.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
