Rain, aftershocks hamper rescuers as Philippine quake toll hits 55

MANILA: Rescuers battling rain and aftershocks cleared roads and searched for the missing in the southern Philippines on Friday as the death toll from a major quake rose to 55.

The 7.8-magnitude tremor just off the coast of Mindanao on Monday brought down buildings and triggered landslides on the southern island while setting off tsunami warnings across the region.

A government tally released Friday revealed eight additional deaths, while the number of missing stood at 31 as reports from local jurisdictions trickled in.

In hard-hit Sarangani province, provincial disaster chief Rene Punzalan told AFP that many of the blocked roads had been cleared, but helicopters were still being employed to take food and water to cut-off residents who remained without power.

“Aftershocks are still slowing us down, plus it also rained last night, so we have to stop the operation for a while,” he said of operations in which backhoes were being used to remove large boulders.

Punzalan added that while the search for the missing continued, there was little hope of finding survivors.

“Many days have passed since the earthquake, so it’s going to be a miracle if any of them can be rescued alive,” he said. “Our goal is just to retrieve their bodies.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday visited affected areas of General Santos, the affected area’s largest city, including a damaged school and an aid distribution area.

He said the government would allot 100 million pesos (US$1.6 million) to rebuild the city hall.