Strong Philippine earthquake kills 35, displaces thousands | Today’s news

(Bloomberg) — The Philippines was hit by its strongest earthquake in five decades, killing at least 35 people, displacing tens of thousands and damaging buildings on its southern island of Mindanao.

The US Geological Survey put the quake at 7.8, as did the Philippines. The earthquake struck at 7:37 a.m. Manila time and is the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian nation since 1976, and the strongest worldwide this year, according to USGS data.

At least 35 are feared dead, according to the Associated Press. One person died of cardiac arrest while another was hit by debris in South Cotabato province. Approximately 70,000 people were displaced and more than a hundred were injured. A 1-meter-high tsunami wave was reported along the coast of several southern provinces, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The government pledged funds to the affected areas and sent equipment to help clear the debris. The agencies also pledged to restore electricity and repair broken roads and bridges.

“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement today. Marcos’ popularity in the southern island has declined due to ongoing feuds with Vice President Sara Duterte, who is from Mindanao.

The President also ordered relevant government agencies to act immediately and suspended classes in the affected areas in Mindanao until further notice.

There were reports of widespread damage to infrastructure on the southern island of Mindanao. Part of a building in the southern city of General Santos collapsed, and a shopping mall in the area also suffered damage, according to local media reports. Power and communication lines were also cut.

“Our restaurant is standing, but almost all of our supplies have been destroyed,” said Cathy Velez, a worker at a seafood restaurant in General Santos near Sarangani Bay. “Thank God all the workers were safe in the staff house.”

The earthquake struck on the day public schools in the Philippines opened for the current school year, prompting students to evacuate. Even the hospital had to take patients out into the streets.

“We have agreed with our municipalities in the coastal communities to carry out an emergency evacuation,” Rene Punzalan, head of the provincial disaster office in Sarangani, told radio station DZBB. “The power is out and the phone signal is intermittent.”

He described the earthquake as strong. “Like rocking in a cradle,” he said.

According to the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences, the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and was 10 kilometers deep. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning of risks for Indonesia, the Philippines, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, but later said the threat had passed.

Shares were unaffected by the quake, with the benchmark index down 1% in line with a regional sell-off and the capital Manila seeing no disruption.

Government work in several areas including Davao City has been suspended, according to media reports. The State Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspended operations at General Santos Airport, affecting 17 flights.

“I couldn’t even stand, it was so strong,” General Santos City resident Tomas Alon told DZBB. “Everything in my house fell down.

One of the most disaster-prone countries, the Philippines is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

“I hope we can resume operations tomorrow if the power is restored,” Velez said from the restaurant.

–With help from Norman Harson, Anuradha Raghu, Mary Hui, Ditas B Lopez, Manolo Serapio Jr., Zoe Ma, Cliff Venzon, Yasufumi Saito, Brian K. Sullivan, and Brandon Harden.

(Updates the death toll in the first and third paragraphs)

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