42 killed as strong quake hits Visayas

CEBU, Philippines - Forty-two people were killed after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Negros Oriental before noon yesterday, according to disaster management officials.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Benito Ramos said several of the fatalities were minors.

Col. Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio Jr., commander of the Army’s 302nd brigade, said majority of the casualties died in a landslide that hit Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental.

“There are now 29 confirmed dead in the landslide in sitio Moog, barangay Planas and another 10 dead in different parts of Guihulngan,” Patrimonio said in a text message to reporters.

Two persons died in Tayasan town while one each died in the municipalities of Bindoy and Jimalalud.

Authorities are still determining the number of injured persons.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the tsunami alert in the Visayas but lifted it two hours later.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo told ABS-CBN News Channel that about 29 people have been reported missing in his province.

“We hope the number of casualties would not rise. We hope there would be no after shocks,” Degamo said.

He said that as of press time the whole province is without electricity and classes had been suspended.

The governor said three municipalities, Guihulngan, Tayasan and La Libertad, were isolated, even as he called on the national government to assist in the rehabilitation of the province.

Guihulngan City Mayor Ernesto Reyes told The STAR they continue to experience aftershocks, causing great fear among his constituents and affecting communications and transportations.

He noted that they could not bring the injured individuals to Dumaguete Hospital in the absence of a helicopter since all bridges and roads have been damaged.

Widespread damage

The Phivolcs said the tremor occurred at 11:49 a.m. with its epicenter traced five kilometers northwest of Tayasan, Negros Oriental.

The quake was strongly felt at Intensity 7 in Dumaguete City; Intensity 6 in La Carlota City and La Castellana, Negros Occidental; and Intensity 5 in Roxas City; Dao and Ivisan, Capiz and Iloilo City.

It was also felt at Intensity 4 in San Jose de Buenavista and Pandan, Antique; Ayungon, Negros Orienta; Kalibo, Aklan; Sagay, Negros Occidental; and Dipolog City; Intensity 3 in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte; Legaspi City, Albay; and Carmen, Cagayan de Oro; and Intensity 2 in Cabid-an, Sorsogon.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger of a widespread destructive tsunami.Phivolcs said damage and aftershocks were expected from the quake.

Ishmael Narag, Phivolcs seismology division officer-in-charge, said the raising of Tsunami Alert Level 2 was a precautionary measure to urge people to stay 20meters away from the shoreline.

Cebu

In Cebu, the quake was felt around 11:48 a.m. and the first aftershock was around 12:20 p.m., sending people out of their offices and schools for safer grounds.

The Philvolcs raised a tsunami alert level 2 after the earthquake, causing many to panic. But Phivolcs and city officials reminded the people not to panic since it was only a level two alert, which did not call for an evacuation.

A representative of Phivolcs Leyte told The FREEMAN that the level 2 alert meant sea level changes were expected but there was no need to evacuate people, which will come with a level three alert.

Meanwhile, Globe Vis-Min external affairs head Jerry Yntig said that they monitored an increase in the text traffic during the time of the earthquake.

But he said that due to the strong quake, some of their cell sites were also affected, which meant some call and text messages could not go through.

But he confirmed that their operations should be back to normal today.

In Mandaue City, Mayor Jonas Cortes immediately called on DepEd division superintendent Virginia Zapanta to suspend classes in all elementary and high schools in the city after the quake.

Negros occidental

Some government buildings and malls in Negros Occidental cracked as a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Western Visayas at 11:49 a.m. yesterday.

People in this city ran outside when their buildings swayed for about 10 seconds, media interviews said, while in Iloilo City, there was blackout, malls were closed and classes were suspended.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia has suspended all classes in all levels yesterday. He also shut down all government offices in the city, and urged private ones to the same.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. however did not suspend work of the offices at the Capitol. He ordered the employees to stay put so that the Capitol would be ready to respond to possible disasters as an aftermath of the quake.

The epicenter of the earthquake, which was tectonic in origin, was 5 kilometers north and 41 degrees west off the waters of Tayasan town in Negros Oriental, Phivolcs reported.

In Siquijor, Arturo Pacatang, chairman of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, told The FREEMAN that they alerted all six local government units to report any possible damage due to the earthquake, which was described by people there as “too strong.”

Classes in the elementary and secondary level were suspended after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Iloilo shortly before noon yesterday.

An earthquake shook the province of Bohol few minutes before 12 noon yesterday, catching the people by surprise but no one was reported hurt. — AJ de la Torre, Flor Z. Perolina, Rene Borromeo, John DX Lapid Renan Lapinig Ansing, Danny B. Dangcalan, Jennifer P. Rendon, Wenna Berondo, May Joven, Ric V. Obedencio, -/LPM