Death toll rises to 37 in Mindanao after 7.8-magnitude quake
The official death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines island of Mindanao has risen to 37, with more than 230 people injured. Several high-rise buildings in Davao have been damaged, and a small-scale tsunami warning for coastal fishing villages has been lifted.
Nikkei Asia, reporting from Manila, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, PHIVOLCS, recorded the quake at a depth of 32km off Davao Oriental. A national state of calamity declaration signed by President Bongbong Marcos covers seven Mindanao provinces and accelerates the government's access to emergency response funds.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 27,000 people have been temporarily displaced from their homes, and that Davao Regional Hospital was partially evacuated pending structural checks. The Philippine Red Cross said it had deployed eight mobile teams to the affected zone.
For international assistance, the Japanese, U.S. and Australian governments have begun preparing rescue teams, according to local reports. PHIVOLCS said the probability of aftershocks reaching magnitude 6.0 in the next 72 hours remains high.
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