Seven people have been confirmed dead following two strong earthquakes that rocked Davao Oriental and nearby areas, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Saturday morning, October 11.
According to the NDRRMC’s 6 a.m. situational report, three fatalities were recorded in Mati City, three in Pantukan, Davao de Oro, and one in Davao City.
In Mati City, one of the victims was a 54-year-old woman who was hit by a collapsing wall, while two others reportedly died of heart attacks during the tremors.
In Barangay Kingking, Pantukan, three individuals were buried alive at a mining site. Meanwhile, the fatality in Davao City was an 80-year-old man who was trapped under a concrete wall.
The NDRRMC said a total of 3,519 families, or 8,436 individuals, were affected by the quakes across the Davao and Caraga regions. Of these, 2,468 families (equivalent to 7,915 individuals) have been relocated to seven evacuation centers.
At least 28 houses were reported damaged, five of which were completely destroyed. Authorities also confirmed that five roads and one bridge in the Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga regions have been closed to traffic due to damage or safety risks.
The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4, struck Davao Oriental on the morning of Friday, October 10, followed by a magnitude 6.8 tremor later that night.
Seismologists referred to the back-to-back tremors as a “doublet” or twin earthquakes.