Mindanao quake affects 724,000; death toll climbs to 61

More than 700,000 individuals have been affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern Mindanao on 8 June, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Sunday.

The OCD said around 173,000 families, or 724,000 people, have been affected by the powerful tremor that struck offshore Sarangani Province.

The agency said the death toll has risen to 61, with 54 fatalities recorded in Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) and seven in Region 11 (Davao Region).

A total of 1,403 people have been injured, including 1,356 in Region 12, 46 in Region 11, and one in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Authorities are also searching for 40 missing persons, including 22 in Region 11 and 18 in Region 12.

The earthquake displaced about 2,000 families, or approximately 10,000 individuals, while more than 1,000 families in Barangay Lagao, General Santos City, lost their homes.

Damage to infrastructure has reached P1 billion, according to the OCD.

Initial assessments identified 725 damaged infrastructure facilities and 9,900 damaged houses, while 44,100 houses sustained partial damage.

A state of calamity has been declared in 13 municipalities and cities affected by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Saturday that power supply has been restored to hospitals affected by the disaster.

The OCD also reported that P67.6 million worth of assistance has been distributed to affected families.

As of the latest monitoring, 5,200 aftershocks ranging from magnitude 1.2 to 6.4 have been recorded. Of these, 1,307 have been plotted, while 76 were felt.