17 killed as quakes rattle Mindanao

CEBU, Philippines — Two residents of North Cotabato added to the list of fatalities from the series of earthquakes in Mindanao, the latest being the magnitude 6.5 tremor that rocked central and eastern parts of the island at around 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Intensity VII was felt in Tulunan, Cotabato; Kidapawan City; Sta. Cruz, Matanao, Bansalan and Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.

It was Intensity VI in Tampakan, South Cotabato; Intensity V in General Santos City; Tupi, South Cotabato; Isulan, Sultan Kudarat; and Intensity IV in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.

Phivolcs said the tremor, which was tectonic in origin with a depth of six kilometers, was traced 28 kilometers northeast of Tulunan, Cotabato.

It occurred just two days after a magnitude 6.6 quake struck the same area, killing at least eight people and hurting hundreds others in the region.

On Oct. 16, a magnitude 6.3 tremor also struck Tulunan, leaving at least seven people dead.

All in all, at least 17 people have died from the series of quakes that have rattled Mindanao in two weeks.

The latest fatalities were an ethnic Maguindanaoan woman named Zalika Piang and Cesar Bangot.

Piang, a resident of Barangay Sambulawan in Midsayap town, possibly died of cardiac arrest in her room yesterday, according to granddaughter Fatima Kanakan, director of the Office of Southern Cultural Communities-Bangsamoro Region.

“She was alone in her room when the earthquake struck and was found sprawled on the floor lifeless,” Kanakan said.

Bangot, barangay chairman of Batasan in Makilala town, succumbed to injuries sustained when their office collapsed as the ground swayed with force for more than 10 seconds, radio reports said.

Four people from different towns in the province died due to tremor-related injuries last October 29.

The aftershock on Thursday morning also damaged the Eva’s Hotel building along a highway in Kidapawan City, capital of North Cotabato. It was preceded by magnitude 6.6 earthquake three days before.

The Eva Hotel building was declared unsafe by government engineers early on due to damage caused by previous tremors.

President’s House

Even the house of President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City was not spared as cracks were seen on the walls.

The President was in Davao City, a day before he was set to fly to Bangkok, Thailand today for the 35th ASEAN Leaders Summit.

The house of Senator Christopher Bong Go also sustained cracked walls as a result of yesterday's tremor.

A building of the ECOLAND 4000 Condominum also collapsed as a result of the tremor.

Search and rescue operations were immediately conducted after the building collapsed.

Presidential daughter and Mayor Sara Duterte- Carpio extended anew the suspension of classes in the city unless the school buildings are properly assessed by authorities.

More Aftershocks

Science Underscretary and Phivolcs director Renato Solidum Jr. said aftershocks in Tulunan, Cotabato could last for weeks.

“We have mapped faults and names of it. We know the most likely fault that moved but wanted to confirm if it ruptured,” Solidum told The STAR.

“We will study if the latest event is from a different fault,” he said.

Surface rupture occurs when fault rupture extends to the Earth's surface. Any structure built across the fault is at risk of being torn apart as the two sides of the fault slip past each other.

The Phivolcs chief said the earthquakes in Tulunan were related.

Solidum continued to appeal to residents, local government units and organizations of engineers in earthquake-hit areas in Mindanao to have their houses and buildings checked especially those which sustained damages as tremors continue to rock the region.

“Houses and buildings, especially those with damages, should be inspected if these are still resistant to a strong shaking,” he said.

The official also ruled out the possibility of a tsunami due to the strong tremors.

“There will be no tsunami in the coastal areas as the quake is far inland,” he said.

He also urged those who live in areas that are highly susceptible to landslides especially those that were affected by landslides or those with tension cracks to move to safer grounds.

Schools Damaged

More than 450 public schools have been damaged in Mindanao following the two strong earthquakes that hit the southern part of the country this week.

At least 147 schools have reportedly sustained damage in Region X alone following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao on Thursday, according initial data from the Department of Education.

This is on top of the 313 public schools that were confirmed to have been damaged in four regions in the aftermath of the magnitude 6.6 quake on Tuesday.

The twin tremors affected education institutions in Regions X, XI and XII, as well as in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the DepEd said.

The cost of damage is expected to increase further, as the initial estimate of P572.5 million only covers those damaged in the first major earthquake.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said the agency has already requested the National Disaster Coordinating Council to allocate funds for the reconstruction of the schools damaged by the quake. Philippine Star News Service JMD (FREEMAN)