Death toll in southern Philippines from intense earthquake rises to 9
Date
11/20/2023 4:56:23 AM
(MENAFN) The death toll from a powerful earthquake off the southern Philippines has reached nine, according to the national disaster agency on Monday, with the possibility of further increases.
The 6.7-magnitude quake struck the Mindanao region on Friday, prompting people to evacuate into the streets or take cover under tables. The earthquake caused buildings to shake, and a section of a ceiling inside a shopping mall collapsed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's latest update indicates that at least 15 people were injured, and over 800 houses were damaged or destroyed. The death toll increased gradually over the weekend as more bodies were discovered under rubble or soil.
While search operations have largely concluded, the disaster agency continues to receive data from some of the numerous villages affected by the earthquake.
“I’m hoping to God that our death toll won’t go up anymore, but we’re still waiting for the information coming from the regions,” deputy representative Mark Timbal reported to a French news agency.
The state seismology service indicated that the earthquake was likely triggered by the movement of the earth's crust along the Cotabato trench. This long, narrow depression on the seafloor serves as the boundary between tectonic plates, with one plate pushing against another.
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