MANILA, Philippines - The death toll in the powerful earthquake that struck Central Visayas is now at 198, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Thursday.
The NDRRMC, in its latest update, said the number of injured also climbed to 668 as reports came in from Talibon, Bohol that 17 more persons were hurt.
The number of missing is still pegged at 11, the NDRRMC added.
Meanwhile, the NDRRMC also reported that over 600,000 families or 3.1 million people were affected by the 7.2 magnitude quake last Oct. 15 that destroyed several homes and buildings in several provinces in Central Visayas.
Of the total affected, more than 66,000 families have been displaced, with over 14,000 of them now sheltered in 125 evacuation centers in several areas, the NDRRMC said.
A total of 54,646 houses were either partially or totally damaged during the quake in Bohol, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Siquijor, and Guimaras, the NDRRMC added.
The total cost of damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, school buildings and hospitals is now at P1.4 billion, the NDRRMC said.
On the other hand, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology monitored a total of 2,654 aftershocks since the major temblor, with only 68 of which were felt.