Death toll from powerful Philippine quake rises to 10
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BUCLOC (Philippines) • The death toll from a major earthquake in the Philippines rose to 10 yesterday, after four more bodies were found.
Rescuers in Luba town in Abra province retrieved the remains of the men on a section of road that was buried by a landslide during Wednesday's magnitude 7 quake, the provincial civil defence office said.
Landslides and collapsing structures killed six others in Abra and nearby provinces, the authorities had said previously. More than 150 people were injured.
The powerful quake rippled across the northern provinces of the main Philippine island of Luzon, damaging thousands of homes, toppling buildings and shaking high-rise towers 300km away in the capital Manila.
Rescuers yesterday airlifted supplies to districts that have been cut off since the earthquake struck Luzon, as residents pleaded for food and temporary shelter.
The military said it had deployed personnel and helicopters to distribute relief goods to seven isolated towns in Abra province.
Around 3,000 food packs were airlifted to the communities, Mr Romel Lopez, spokesman for the Social Welfare Ministry, told DZMM radio station.
Residents were still camping out in parks and open spaces in some areas, with their nerves frayed by regular aftershocks.
The earthquake left more than 270 injured in the northern part of Luzon.
In Abra's Bucloc town, which was cut off until Thursday evening, residents were worried about more landslides due to aftershocks and rain, said former mayor Gybel Cardenas.
"Our problem is we have yet to receive any assistance," Ms Gamalea Dimaampao, a resident in Bangued town in Abra, told the radio station. "We need food, milk, water and medicine."
Families, including children, were sheltering under torn tarpaulin sheets, exposing them to the rain, Ms Dimaampao said.
In Lagangilang town, also in Abra, residents asked for temporary shelter and food.
"Many families are trying to fit into makeshift tents. Adults sleep while seated while children cry during aftershocks," resident Leonora Baruela said.
REUTERS