OCD: Mindanao quake damage tops P562 million; death toll at 45

The estimated cost of damage to infrastructure caused by the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rattled Mindanao has reached P562.8 million, while the death toll has risen to 45, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday.

OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV said in a live video update that the concentration of damage is in Regions XI and XII.

Several lifeline infrastructures were affected by the earthquake, including 29 roads and 11 bridges, along with one seaport and one airport that are both non-operational.

Damaged houses have reached 3,169, of which 528 were reported as totally damaged, while 2,641 were partially damaged.

Mr. Alejandro said assessments are still ongoing to determine the total damage cost caused by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, the reported total number of fatalities remains at 45, while the number of injured individuals has climbed to 630, with 17 reported missing.

Of the total number of deaths, 33 were reported in Region XII and 12 in Region XI, based on the 6am situational report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The report said all deaths are still being validated.

As for affected individuals, at least 35,673 families from 199 barangays have been affected as of noon, Mr. Alejandro said.

Of these, 6,314 families are taking temporary shelter in 45 evacuation centers, while 1,815 families are being served outside evacuation centers.

Around P21.3 million worth of food and non-food items have been prepared and distributed, translating to 12,086 family food packs released in General Santos City and Davao Occidental.

Health commodities worth P70.2 million are also on standby and ready for deployment by the Department of Health (DoH).

For search, rescue, and retrieval operations, around 3,773 uniformed personnel were deployed, led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with 2,523 standby personnel and 975 assets, Mr. Alejandro said. — Edg Adrian A. Eva