Philippines earthquake toll 48, scores missing

Sacramento Sun Tuesday 7th February, 2012

MANILA - At least 48 people have been killed and scores are missing in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the heavily populated island provinces of Negros and Cebu in the central Philippines Monday.

Over 1,000 government troopers were pressed into rescue work Tuesday in the Visayas region, about 650 kilometers south of the Philippines capital Manila, where hundreds of rescuers are trying to dig through rubble, many with bare hands, in the search for survivors.

The quake hit a narrow strait between the heavily populated islands of Negros and Cebu at lunchtime Monday, triggering landslides, destroying homes and tearing up the vital road links. A series of aftershocks have caused further damage.

Philippine seismologists said the tremor was triggered by movement in an undersea fault in the region.

Around eight bridges were damaged by the quake making rescue work more difficult, said Roel Degamo, Governor of Negros Oriental province.

Though the tsunami warning, issued in the wake of the earthquake, has been cancelled people in the coastal areas are still panicking.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Murphy, Quezon City said the number of confirmed deaths is 48 and there are at least 52 injured.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the Philippine Army (PA) 302nd brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division under Maj. Gen Jose Mabanta has changed the security alert status to disaster response to help in the rescue and rehabilitation work.

"We have dispatched two utility helicopters from Western Mindanao Command to help in the relief operations in Negros Oriental," Burgos said in a press briefing.

Four more helicopters are on standby for deployment to the affected areas.

In addition, the Philippine Navy has fielded patrol gun boats in the Visayas region for augmenting rescue work

Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said the response extended by local chief executives (LCEs) in the earthquake struck areas in Central and Western Visayas had been satisfactory.

Robredo however stressed that local government should be better prepared to deal with impact of earthquakes, and not just typhoons and floods.

One of the most disaster prone nation, Philippines every year has to contend with earthquakes and over a dozen typhoons and consequent floods and mudslides.

Robredo pointed out that the disaster preparedness plan have so far been influenced by the country's experience of strong typhoons and tropical storms such as Pedring and Sendong that wrought much havoc last year.

"While the response has been satisfactory, we should also factor earthquakes in our disaster preparedness plan," he said in a statement.