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PHILIPPINES-DISASTER-EARTHQUAKE
Toll in Philippine quakes climbs to 21
MANILA, Nov 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The death toll in two powerful quakes that
struck the southern Philippines in the past week has risen to 21, authorities
said Sunday, as survivors struggled to access food and water.
The 6.6-magnitude and 6.5-magnitude quakes hit the island of Mindanao two
days apart, destroying buildings and displacing tens of thousands of
residents.
Some villagers staying under tents near a highway were begging for help
from passing motorists, carrying placards asking for food and water, TV
footage showed.
Rescuers had found more bodies, many crushed by falling debris and
landslides caused by the violent shaking, the national disaster council said.
The quakes also left 432 residents injured with two people still missing,
it added.
Thursday’s big quake was the third since mid-October in the Mindanao
region, which makes up a third of the Philippines.
Temporary shelters have been set up to house more than 20,000 displaced
individuals — many already there since the first quake struck on October 16,
leaving seven people dead.
On Sunday, rescuers continued their evacuation of families whose houses
were endangered by landslides, while several residents trapped in mountainous
villages had been airlifted to safety.
The government said aid has reached affected communities and instructed
people sleeping near the road to go to evacuation centres for help.
The Philippines suffers regular tremors as part of the Pacific “Ring of
Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through
Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1317 hrs