QUAKE KILLS 6 IN SURIGAO
Airport in Surigao will be closed until March 10, while authorities fix the cracks on its runway caused by M6.7 earthquake.
Aftershocks are expected to continue for several days or weeks, with the possibility of another movement of the Surigao Segment of the Philippine Fault not discounted.
Pharmaceutical executive Marissa Navales had just taken a shower in her hotel room in Surigao City when the building shook Friday night.
The television fell, the glass windows shattered and the lights went out. Navales flew down the stairs without her slippers.
“My God, I had just taken a shower inside my hotel room when the building shook. Power went out and the television flew off the shelf. I ran downstairs without my slippers,” said Navales.
A powerful magnitude 6.7 tectonic earthquake struck near Surigao City in Caraga Region, Mindanao at 10:03 p.m. Friday, February 10, killing six people, including a four-year-old boy, and injuring more than 100, the local disaster mitigation agency said.
As of 4 p.m. Saturday, a total of 101 aftershocks have been recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr.
The aftershocks are expected to continue for several days or weeks. Solidum said some might not be felt, but the possibility of another strong movement of the Surigao Segment of the Philippine Fault has not been discounted.
“The probability (of another strong earthquake) is low, but we are not discounting it,” Solidum told SunStar Philippines.
He urged residents and officials in Surigao del Norte province and other affected areas to be cautious of structures that were visibly weakened by Friday’s quake and of cracks on slopes that could trigger landslides in the event of another strong ground movement.
A report by the Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of 3 p.m. Saturday said six people were killed and at least 112 were injured in Surigao del Norte province.
A bridge collapsed, some roads sustained cracks and were not passable, and residential houses and some commercial buildings were damaged.
San Francisco and Malimono towns in Surigao del Norte reported a total power outage. Parts of Surigao City, the provincial capital, are also without electricity, the report added.
The towns of Mainit, Sison and Taganaan, all in Surigao del Norte province, also reported total power outage while the Surigao Metropolitan Water District announced that water supply will not be available in Surigao City because the water lines were damaged.
The Surigao Airport was ordered closed until March 10 due to massive cracks on the runway, according to a Notice to Airmen issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
All vessels bound for Lipata Port Station have been redirected to the Surigao City Port because some roads and bridges leading to Lipata Port are not passable.
A state of calamity has been declared in Surigao City and in Surigao del Norte province, said provincial information officer Mary Jul Espuerte.
Among the fatalities were Roberto Eludo, Jr., 39; Wilson Lito, in his 20s; JM Ariar, 4; and Lorenzo Deguino, 85. The RDRRMC report said they died from blunt trauma. Another octogenerian, Roda Justina Taganahan, 83, had a heart attack while Wenefreda Aragon Bernal, 66, was hit by a wall that collapsed during the quake.
The 3 p.m. RDRRMC update said a total of 112 individuals in Surigao City alone have sought treatment for various injuries -- 80 were brought to Caraga Regional Hospital, 21 are in Surigao Medical Center and 8 in Miranda Family Hospital, all in Surigao City while 3 are in Malimono District Hospital. Seven persons were also reportedly hurt in Sison town.