Quake leaves 4 dead
27 injured in landslide
DAVAO, Philippines, Oct 17, (AP): A landslide and building damage caused by a strong earthquake in the southern Philippines killed four people and injured dozens.
The Office of Civil Defense said Thursday morning that two people died and 18 were injured in a landslide set off by the quake in Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur province. ABS-CBN television network reported two more deaths elsewhere, including a girl hit by a collapsed house wall.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the 6.3 magnitude earthquake Wednesday night was centered 22 km (14 miles) southeast of Tulunan in North Cotabato province at a relatively shallow depth of 8 km (5 miles). More than 200 aftershocks have been recorded.
The US Geological Survey placed the magnitude at 6.4 quake with a depth of 14 km (9 miles). Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones.
OCD said at least 27 people were injured in the landslide in Magsaysay or from falling objects and collapsed concrete walls.
A fire broke out in a shopping mall in southern General Santos city shortly after the quake hit, but it was unclear whether it was sparked by the temblor, officials said.
A girl was hit by collapsed wall in a house and died in Datu Paglas town in Maguindanao province, ABSCBN television network reported, citing a police report, adding that in nearby Tulunan town in North Cotabato province, two residents were injured by falling fragments from a concrete wall.
Vice Mayor Joselito Pinol of North Cotabato’s M’lang town said patients were evacuated out of a hospital to ensure their safety during and after the quake, which injured three people by falling cinder blocks elsewhere. Several buildings were damaged and some electric posts got toppled, Pinol said, adding that the shaking was so powerful the facade of his office crashed down with glass windows.
In the farming town of Magsaysay in Davao del Sur province, more than 20 villagers were injured by falling objects in their homes as the ground shook. “Many houses were damaged, some totally. There were many aftershocks,” town information officer Anthony Allada said.