The death toll from a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines has risen to 41, while hundreds remained injured and thousands displaced as rescue and recovery efforts continued on Tuesday, reports AFP.
According to national and local disaster agencies, more than 450 people were injured in Monday's quake off the coast of Mindanao. Only four people were still reported missing.
In the worst-hit province of Sarangani, damaged roads and the collapse of a bridge left several communities cut off, with some areas accessible only by helicopter. Authorities said the disruption could last at least a week.
"There are still aftershocks, so the rescuers are very cautious in their approach. That's a challenge," regional civil defence chief Rodrigo Sosmena told reporters.
A series of strong aftershocks rattled the region after the main quake, complicating rescue operations and raising fears among residents.
Hospitals were forced to move patients outdoors due to structural damage. At a hospital near General Santos, the region's largest city, medical staff treated patients in tents under the scorching sun. AFP reporters witnessed a woman giving birth outside behind a makeshift screen.
In Glan municipality, where at least 13 people were killed when a landslide buried homes, hospital officials said more than 60 patients had been moved outside as a precaution.
"The hospital sustained a lot of damage," a staff member said. "The municipal engineer decided we could not use the building."
Rescue teams also resumed operations at a collapsed grocery store in General Santos, where two employees remained trapped beneath the rubble. Search dogs combed through the wreckage, although local rescuers acknowledged the mission had largely shifted from rescue to recovery.
Elsewhere, coast guard crews searched for two people who went missing while swimming when the earthquake struck and churned coastal waters.
Videos verified by AFP showed widespread destruction, including the collapse of a shopping centre housing a Jollibee restaurant in General Santos and the destruction of a school building in another area.
One video showed terrified schoolchildren clinging to teachers as the ground shook violently, while a nearby metal structure toppled. School officials said no one was injured in that incident.
The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings across parts of the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, prompting thousands of residents in coastal areas to evacuate. However, authorities later cancelled the alerts after the threat subsided.
In Japan, waves generated by the quake were reported to have reached only about 20 centimetres high.
Eastern Mindanao was also struck by two strong earthquakes measuring 7.4 and 6.7 in October last year, killing at least eight people.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
