Rescue teams combed through collapsed structures in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, making sure no one remained trapped after one of the most powerful earthquakes to strike the country in 50 years left at least 37 people dead and displaced more than 32,000 others.
Although official records listed only four people as missing in the southern provinces near the epicentre of Monday morning’s 7.8-magnitude quake, the Office of Civil Defence said several destroyed and badly damaged buildings still needed careful inspection for potential survivors or additional victims.
The offshore quake, centered near Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, injured nearly 500 people and forced tens of thousands to flee, many of whom sought refuge in emergency shelters.
Fears of a tsunami drove many residents from their homes. While waves up to 1.4 metres above normal tide were recorded in the Philippines, damage was limited to six stilt houses in a coastal village. Smaller waves also reached Indonesia, Palau, and even southern Japan.
The quake caused widespread devastation, including in General Santos, a bustling coastal city of over 700,000 known as the nation’s tuna capital, where at least 13 people were killed by collapsing structures and falling debris.
