Patients Treated in Tents After Powerful Quake
Doctors in the southern Philippines treated patients in outdoor tents on Tuesday after a powerful earthquake damaged hospitals, roads and homes across Mindanao.
The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake has risen to 41, according to provincial sources. Thousands of people remain displaced, while more than 450 others have been injured. Disaster officials said only four people were still believed to be missing.
The earthquake struck off the southern island of Mindanao on Monday. It damaged buildings, triggered landslides and led to tsunami warnings in the Philippines and neighbouring Indonesia.
In several areas, hospitals were forced to move patients outside because of fears that damaged buildings could collapse during aftershocks. At one hospital near General Santos, doctors even helped a young mother give birth outdoors behind a temporary screen.
In Glan municipality, where at least 13 people were buried in their homes by a landslide, more than 60 patients were placed on beds outside a hospital. Staff said the building had suffered major damage and engineers declared it unsafe for use.
Aftershocks Slow Rescue Operations
Rescue work has been made more difficult by repeated aftershocks. Some powerful tremors were recorded just hours after the main earthquake, followed by hundreds of smaller shocks.
Regional civil defence chief Rodrigo Sosmena said rescuers were moving carefully because aftershocks were still being felt. He said the unstable conditions were slowing operations in damaged areas.
In Sarangani province, some communities remain accessible only by helicopter. Officials said damaged roads and a collapsed bridge could leave several communities cut off for at least a week.
Outside a collapsed grocery store in General Santos, rescuers resumed operations after an overnight pause. Two store employees were believed to have been inside when the building fell.
Rescue dogs and handlers searched through broken concrete and twisted metal. One local rescuer said the effort had likely shifted from rescue to recovery, though senior officials had not formally confirmed that position.
Tsunami Alerts Lifted as Recovery Begins
The earthquake also created panic in coastal areas. Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate after tsunami warnings were issued by several countries and a regional warning centre.
By midday, the tsunami threat had passed and alerts were cancelled. Waves that reached Japan’s Pacific coast were reported to be no higher than 20 centimetres.
Videos shared on social media showed severe damage in General Santos, including the collapse of a shopping centre with a fast food restaurant. Another video showed schoolchildren screaming as teachers held them during the violent shaking.
Officials said no one was trapped under a flimsy metal structure that collapsed near the school.
The disaster comes after eastern Mindanao was hit by two strong earthquakes in October. Those tremors, with magnitudes of 7.4 and 6.7, killed at least eight people.
Authorities are now focused on rescue, medical care, shelter and restoring access to isolated communities. With aftershocks continuing, officials have urged residents to remain alert and avoid damaged structures.
