Central Visayas quake toll hits 183

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – The death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Central Visayas is now at 183, the government said Saturday, October 19.

Bohol accounted for 170 people dead, while the number for Cebu rose to 12, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its latest bulletin. The toll in Siquijor still stands at one.

A total of 583 people were injured. The number of injured in Bohol is at 489; 89 in Cebu; 3 in Siquijor, and one each in Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

At least 13 people are still missing, all in Bohol.

Bohol currently has 372,565 people displaced from their homes by the quake, equivalent to a total of 79,009 families. About 90 evacuation centers are housing 108,917 people; the rest are in the homes of relatives or friends.

The quake affected 3,492,496 people across 6 provinces in Central and Western Visayas.

Widespread damage

Damage to roads, bridges, and flood control projects in 4 provinces are now worth P549.85 million, the NDRRMC said.

The region is still shaken by aftershocks from Tuesday’s (October 15) earthquake. As of 5:00 pm Saturday, there have been a total of 1,937 aftershocks, 33 of which were strong enough to be felt, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Bohol, the location of the epicenter, suffered huge landslides, fallen bridges, shattered roads and collapsed structures during the quake.

Government and aid groups have been rushing to deliver assistance to the affected areas, but travel has been hampered by the bridges and roads that have been rendered impassable by the quake.

Many Bohol residents have been living in tents fearing the many aftershocks could cause their homes to collapse. – With the Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com